Our New Life
by SunnyMagicKingdom
Summary: Chihiro had never stopped believing that Haku will keep his promise. Three months had passed since they had let go of each other's hand and Haku appeared before Chihiro and showed that he didn't break his promise. It is a new life for both Haku and Chihiro in Chihiro's world and what could happen from now on?
1. The Promise

Author's Space: Hello there, readers! This is my third story and it is about one of my favourites too, Spirited Away! Since before, I had always liked Spirited Away and I'm always happy whenever I watch it. Now, I have the chance to write a fanfic about it and I hope everybody likes it!

Chapter 1: The Promise

"I know you will keep your promise, Haku. I know we will meet again."

That is what Chihiro believes and nothing is going to make her change her mind. She will always wait for him to come for her and she will always try her best to reach him.

Three months had passed since she let go of Haku's hand. Ten-year-old Chihiro Ogino will go back to the tunnel that leads to the other world once a week, hoping to be able to get to the place where Haku is. But three months had passed and every time she tries, she fails.

Today, after three months, she came back to the tunnel again. Taking a deep breath, she then walks into the tunnel with her eyes closed. She had crossed this tunnel enough times to allow her to cross it without bumping into anything even with her eyes closed. She opened her eyes when she felt a breeze of wind touching her face.

Like usual, no path was there for her to go to where Haku is. She turns around and sighed. Walking back to the entrance of the tunnel had always makes her feel heavy and sad. She left the tunnel and starts to climb onto her bicycle and decided to go back home after another failed trial.

She was cycling away from the tunnel when a voice stopped her.

"Chihiro!"

That familiar voice came from the direction of the tunnel and it is so familiar that it didn't take Chihiro even a second before she recognize the owner of that voice.

She turned around and her face is filled with happiness, "Haku!"

She quickly gets off from her bicycle and run to him. Haku smiled and opened his arms, ready to accept an expected hug. Chihiro felt happiness flowing through her whole body when she hugged the boy who she had waited to meet all these time.

"I know you will keep your promise! I'm so glad I get to see you again!" Chihiro said as she could feel tears of happiness forming on her eyes.

Haku placed his head on hers and said, "I will feel bad if I make you wait for too long so all this time I tried to come to you as fast as possible. I am happy to know you never stopped believing on me."

Haku broke their hug and wipe away Chihiro's tears. He is glad she is safe and sound. Chihiro is glad Haku managed to come here unharmed too.

Suddenly, Haku frowned a little and it made Chihiro worried for a while. Haku smiled and reassured her that he is fine, "I'm fine, don't worry. Just that..." Chihiro stares at him as he talks. "I don't have a place to stay here."

Chihiro just stared at him for a few seconds before she laughed a little. Haku looked slightly confused but Chihiro will always be there to guide him in this world.

She held his hand and told him, "Don't worry. Leave everything to me! You helped me when I was at the other world. Now that you are here, it is my turn to help you!"

Chihiro pulled him to her bicycle and ask him to sit at the back seat while she climb onto the bicycle. "First, you need to change your clothes!"

Chihiro cycle towards the town where she stopped in front of a shop where they sell clothes that Haku could fit in. Chihiro led him inside the shop and ask Haku to choose clothes he like.

But Haku just stared at the clothes and look confused. Chihiro laughed at him and decided to lend him a hand. She found a sky blue t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. She hand them to Haku and ask him to change into those in the dressing room.

Haku went into the dressing room and came out with his new shirt and pants. Chihiro thinks he looks good in them though both of them need some time to get used to this change in Haku's clothings.

Chihiro kept Haku's clothes inside the bag she brought with her and paid for the new clothes. Both of them then climbed back to the bicycle and Chihiro cycle towards her house.

"Hope dad and mom will let Haku stay at our house." Chihiro thought as she cycle towards the house she just moved into.

When she reached her two storey house, she climb down from her bike and Haku did the same. Still feeling weird to be in a world he isn't familiar with, Haku's every movement seems a bit awkward.

Chihiro took a deep breath before opening the door to her house. She invited Haku in and led him to the kitchen where Chihiro found her mom washing some dishes.

Her mom felt a presence and assume it is Chihiro so she didn't face to her daughter's direction and said, "Welcome back, Chihiro. Where did you go?"

"Just went out for a stroll." Chihiro answered and looked at Haku who is behind her before continuing, "Err... Mom, I brought a friend with me."

Chihiro's mom stopped washing her dishes and faced to her daughter's direction and found a boy behind her whom she never seen before.

Chihiro's mom finds Haku cute and smiled before talking to him, Hello there! You're such a cute boy! What is your name?"

Haku is relieved Chihiro's mom is a friendly person and smiled before answering, "My name is Haku. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you too, Haku!" Chihiro is relieved her mother seems to like Haku but she jumped a little after her mom asked the next question. "I had never seen you before. Is Haku your new classmate, Chihiro? Where did you come from, Haku?"

Chihiro cleared her throat and answered, "W-well... Haku came from a town quite far from here. He just reached here today. We met at the park and became friends."

"I see. Where are you staying?" Chihiro's mother asked Haku who answered rather fast, "I don't have a home here."

Chihiro's mom looked confused after hearing Haku's answer and Chihiro quickly said, "Haku's parents just passed away and he is here to find his only relative who happens to be his mother's brother."

Chihiro's mom's confused face was replaced with a sympathetic one, "I'm sorry to hear that. Did you manage to find your uncle?"

This time, Haku thought of something to answer, "No. I asked around and people told me he moved a long time ago. I managed to find out he had passed away around a year ago."

Chihiro was relieved Haku was able to come up with something reasonable and believable.

Chihiro's mom felt sorry for Haku and said, "I am really sorry to hear that. We are also new to this place so we can't help you with finding your family."

Chihiro then thinks this is a good chance to ask her mom to let Haku stay at their house, "Can Haku stay with us? We can't just let him stay outside without a home right?"

That sudden question left Chihiro's mom speechless for a few seconds. It is not a nice thing to do if she leaves the poor boy alone outside without a home to go back to. But then again, even though the boy seems nice and harmless, he is still someone she just met so this is a question she hesitated to answer.

"I have to ask your father first, Chihiro. We'll decide tonight. Why don't you bring Haku around the house?" Chihiro's mom said with a smile.

Seeing that her mom didn't directly reject her suggestion, she smiled back and brings Haku around the house. She gave a small tour around her new home to Haku and both seem happy to spend time together. After the tour, Chihiro brought Haku to her room where she put Haku's old clothes inside an empty box she found and hid it well, hoping her parents won't find it.

This is when Haku told Chihiro something she forgot to ask, "In this world, my ability to transform myself into a dragon and all other magical abilities are gone." Chihiro looked a bit puzzled so Haku explained further, "To put things simple, in this world I am just like you, a normal human. But if I step back into the other world, I'll have all my magical abilities back."

Chihiro finally understood, "I see. You will stay here right? You won't leave soon, will you?"

Seeing that Chihiro seemed a bit sad, Haku placed a hand on her head and said, "Don't worry. I won't leave. I'm now allowed to do whatever I wish to. I also have the freedom to be in whichever world I want without anybody controlling me. I want to stay in this world with you and I will."

Chihiro hugged Haku after hearing that and smiles could be seen from her again. After breaking the hug, she asked another question, "You can go back to the other world too? But you can come back here afterwards right?"

"Of course. I told you I have the freedom to be wherever I want. So don't worry about not being able to see me again." Haku smiled and it made Chihiro smiled wider. Haku then continued talking, "I can bring you back to meet your friends at the other world too, if you want to."

Chihiro was surprised when she heard that but happiness is flowing through her again when she realized she can meet her friends back at the other world again. She smiled and said, "I want to do that! Let's find time to do that someday! For now, let's have you settle down in this world!"

Haku smiled and the two of them talked for about an hour before a knock on the door could be heard.

It was Chihiro's mom who knocked the door and talked, "Chihiro, Haku. Come down for dinner. Chihiro's dad is back from work."

Chihiro gulped afterwards and whispered to Haku, "I hope my parents will let you stay here."

Haku seems a bit nervous too and nodded.

Looks like this is just the beginning of a new life for both Haku and Chihiro.

Author's Space: That's the end of chapter one for my new fanfic on Spirited Away! I hope everybody liked it! Please continue supporting this story! I will try to write and update as soon as possible, so kindly wait for the next chapter! Thank you for reading and kindly tell me what you think by reviewing! Thanks again!


	2. New Family

Author's Space: Hello, readers! Thanks for everyone who read my story! I also would like to thank those who reviewed, I am glad you liked the first chapter! I hope I can continue writing stories that everyone will like. So here is chapter 2 for everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away. It is a masterpiece by Hayao Miyazaki. I'm just a huge fan!

Chapter 2: New Family

Chihiro and Haku went down to the dining table and saw Akihiko Ogino, Chihiro's dad, sitting on one of the chairs while reading a newspaper. He stopped reading and put down the newspaper when he saw Chihiro and Haku looking at him in an awkward manner.

Akihiko just laughed a bit and asked both of them to sit down with him, "Hello there, you two! Sit down! Don't just stand there!" Chihiro's dad sounds friendly and it made Haku feel more relieved. Chihiro assumed her mom told her dad about Haku already.

After Chihiro and Haku sat down, Chihiro's mom, Yumiko Ogino, came from the kitchen while bringing some dishes. She put the dishes down on the dining table and they look delicious. There are vegetables, meat and also a big bowl of soup.

Chihiro and Haku just sat there, feeling kind of awkward, still hoping both parents will let Haku stay.

"Let's eat now!" Akihiko said and both parents started eating already. But both Chihiro and Haku just sat there and didn't move at all. Both are feeling too awkward and both parents realized it.

Yumiko laughed and tried to make them relax, "Come on now, you two. Start eating! Don't feel nervous or anything!" Chihiro and Haku just stared at her, not knowing what to do or say.

Akihiko then continued talking, "Me and Yumiko talked about it before she called the two of you to come down." Chihiro gulped and she could feel her heart beating faster. "And we had decided to let Haku stay."

Chihiro stood from her chair due to excitement and smiled widely while saying, "Really?! That's great!" She then faced Haku and held his hand in hers, making Haku stand from his chair too. "This is wonderful, Haku! You have a new home now!"

Haku smiled and faced Akihiko and Yumiko, "Thank you very much."

Both Chihiro's dad and mom smiled at the new member of their family. Akihiko then said, "We are glad to have you here. Just like what Yumiko said, you seem like a nice boy. Perhaps it's fate to have you here as part of our family. We really hope we can all get along from now on." Akihiko and Yumiko's warm smiles made Haku feel blessed and he can't help but show happiness from his smile.

"So now, let's eat!" Yumiko said and she is happy to see Haku and Chihiro finally eating in peace.

After dinner, everyone had warm baths before going to bed. Since there are no rooms available for Haku yet, he is going to sleep in Chihiro's room for the time being. Akihiko and Yumiko promised them that they will arrange the guest room to become Haku's permanent room as soon as possible.

Chihiro went back to her own room after bathing and Haku followed her. Both of them are glad things are going smoothly so far. Yumiko found pajamas that fit Haku. It is actually pajamas Yumiko bought for Chihiro but the size is too big for someone as tiny as Chihiro. But the plain light blue pajamas fit Haku perfectly.

Yumiko prepared a mattress for Haku and placed it beside Chihiro's bed. While Chihiro is already lying down on her bed, Haku is also already lying down on the mattress. Suddenly, Chihiro sat up and gave off a shocked voice.

"What's wrong, Chihiro?" Haku asked, who also sat up so he gets to see Chihiro clearer.

"I forgot to ask my parents something important." Haku is growing more curious. "I forgot to ask about whether you will go to school or not."

"School?" Haku seems to have an idea on what a school is so Chihiro decided not to explain much.

"Yeah. Right now, we are having a short holiday. But school will resume next Monday, which is the day after tomorrow." Chihiro explained and she is glad Haku seems to get what she means. "Wonder if you will be asked to go to school too."

"I think I should go to school with you, Chihiro." Haku said with a smile and he seems kind of excited to go to school. "Since I will be staying here for a very long time, I should start doing routines that everyone else does here."

Chihiro thought for a while and thinks what Haku said is true, "That's true. Wonder if you will be in the same class as me."

"I hope I will."

"I'll ask my mom if we can request to have you in my class! Now we should think of what to say to them about your age." Chihiro is thinking hard while Haku thought of something.

"Why don't we tell them we are born on the same day?" Haku suggested and Chihiro jumped a bit.

"We can't say that! You look older than me!" Chihiro argued, thinking it isn't really a good idea.

"Well, some people look older than they should be." Haku said, still thinking this idea could work. He really wants to be in the same class as Chihiro so he would stick to this plan.

Chihiro just sighed and go back to lying down on her bed, "Let's see if that works then."

After a few moments, the two of them fell asleep after saying good night to each other. Knowing that both of them are so close to each other, they had a good night sleep and happiness could be seen from their faces even during their sleep.

When morning came, Haku and Chihiro took turns to take a bath. Akihiko had already left for work while Yumiko is preparing breakfast for the two kids. Yumiko sat down on the dining table and reads the newspaper while Haku and Chihiro are eating their breakfast.

Chihiro then asked Yumiko about school, "Mom, school is starting tomorrow. Should we enroll Haku into the school I'm attending?"

Yumiko put down the news paper and smiled, "Oh, that's right! I and Akihiko will be going to settle some paper works to officially become Haku's guardians. Afterwards, we will enroll him to the school Chihiro is attending."

Chihiro and Haku are glad things are becoming more settled. Yumiko then asked some questions to Haku, "Before I forgot to ask, when is your birthday, Haku?"

Haku didn't directly answer since he thinks it is better if he double checked his answers, "I was talking to Chihiro last night and turns out we are both born on the same day."

Yumiko smiled widely and said, "Really? What a coincidence! From now on we will celebrate both of your birthdays together!" Chihiro and Haku are relieved that Yumiko didn't suspect anything.

The next question from Yumiko made Haku a bit nervous though, "Oh, and what is your full name?"

Chihiro is beginning to panic too but she tried her best not to show it.

Haku cleared his throat and answered slowly, "Kohaku Hayami."

Chihiro gave off a sigh of relieve to hear that Haku is able to answer without making her mom suspect anything.

"That's a beautiful name! Since we will just be your guardians, we won't be changing your family name. Do you prefer things to be this way?" Yumiko asked, wanting to make sure that the boy will feel comfortable with these changes.

"Yes. Thank you very much." Haku smiled at the friendly Yumiko. He then asked a question that had been bothering him since last night, "I would like to ask. What should I call you and Chihiro's dad?"

Yumiko's expression showed that she didn't think about that before Haku asked it. Preparing for the paper works had made her forgot about that. She then thinks for a while then answered, "You can call us Dad and Mom like Chihiro if you like to."

Haku thought for a while and smiled, "I think that will be a good idea." Feeling like he is done with breakfast, Haku stood up and took his plates. Before going to the kitchen, he faced Yumiko and said, "Thanks for the breakfast, Mom."

Yumiko smiled warmly, feeling happy to hear that from Haku. It made her feel as if she has another child. Haku is a nice child and she knows all of them will get along just fine. She could even imagine watching Haku grow up to become a fine and handsome young man. Just the thought of that made her happy.

Chihiro is also happy to see her parents excited to have Haku as part of their family. Chihiro knows things will go smoothly and they will become a new and happy family.

Haku and Chihiro spent the whole day shopping for Haku's clothes. Still feeling awkward wearing these clothings, Haku still needs help from Chihiro in choosing the clothes to buy. The sun is already setting when Haku and Chihiro are done shopping. Chihiro cycled as fast as she could, wanting to go back home and see whether her parents are done arranging things for Haku or not.

When they got back home, Akihiko and Yumiko are already sitting down on the living room while watching the television.

"Welcome back, you two!" Akihiko said and he switched the channel on the television.

"Welcome back! Looks like you two had fun shopping!" Yumiko said as she sees that both of them had bought quite a lot of clothings. "We had already done all the necessary paper works and are now legal guardians of Haku. Also, we went to Chihiro's school earlier on and enrolled Haku. Chihiro reminded me to request Haku to be in the same class as her and luckily, the school allowed Haku to be in Chihiro's class! Isn't that great?"

Chihiro and Haku smiled when they heard that and gave each other smiles of relief.

Yumiko then ask both kids to go upstairs, "I even got Haku's uniform already! It is of course similar to Chihiro's uniform. Both of you will have the same white and short sleeves blouse. Chihiro is wearing a dark blue skirt while Haku will be wearing a dark blue pants which will reach a little bit above his knees."

Yumiko had placed Haku's new school uniform inside Chihiro's room. After opening the lights to Chihiro's room, Yumiko showed Haku and Chihiro the new male uniform she just got from the school. Haku seems happy with it and Yumiko smiled, feeling happy to see that he likes his school uniform.

"Tomorrow will be your first day at a new school!" Yumiko said as she put down the uniform on Chihiro's bed. "Make sure you will work hard and get along well with all your classmates and teachers!"

Haku smiled and nodded, showing that he promises to be a good student and won't cause troubles at school.

"But you're such a polite and nice boy, I'm sure you'll be a good student!" Yumiko really likes the new member of her family and continued talking in a teasing tone, "I'm even sure you'll be a popular boy among the girls. You're cute!"

Haku blushed a bit and Yumiko just laughed at the embarrassed boy. Chihiro then tried to stop her mother from teasing Haku, "Mother, don't tease him!"

Yumiko just continued laughing and starts walking towards the door. She turned to the two of them when she is already halfway outside Chihiro's room, "I've already prepared dinner so come down soon and eat!"

The two of them placed all the shopping bags inside the room and went down for dinner. Dinner was full of laughter and chit chats among the four of them. All four of them looks like one complete and happy family, the kind of family people would want to be in.

After a delicious dinner and a warm bath, Haku and Chihiro went back to Chihiro's room for a good night sleep.

"Sleep well, Haku. Tomorrow will be a busy day." Chihiro told Haku before she drifts off to sleep.

"You too, Chihiro. Sleep well." Haku said as he also drifts off to sleep while yet again feeling blessed to have such a loving new family. Having Chihiro with him right now just makes him feel even more blessed and happy.

Tomorrow will be the beginning of Haku's school days and how will it turn out to be?

Author's Space: That's it for chapter 2! I hope I get to find more time to write chapter 3 and update it! Hope everyone liked chapter 2 and please give me a review on what you think! Thank you for reading, everyone! 


	3. First Day at School

Author's Space: Hello there, everyone! Here is chapter 3 for my dearest readers! I hope everyone will like it!

Chapter 3: First Day at School

"Wake up, Chihiro. Aren't we supposed to be getting ready to go to school?" Haku asked as he gently shake Chihiro's arm to wake her up.

The half-asleep Chihiro sat up with her eyes still closed and talked in a sleepy voice, "But I'm so sleepy…"

"But you need to be there with me on my first day at school." Haku really doesn't want to be alone without Chihiro in a foreign place, that's for sure.

Chihiro suddenly snap her eyes open widely, realizing she almost forgot that Haku will be attending school as of today. She takes a look at Haku and saw that he is already in his uniform while she is still in her pajamas, "You're prepared already! I better get ready soon or else we'll be late!"

Chihiro went to take a bath while Haku helped Yumiko with breakfast, "Thank you for helping me with breakfast, Haku. You're a nice boy!"

Haku smiled at Yumiko as he pours milk into four cups. Akihiko was already at the dining table reading a newspaper while Yumiko and Haku put everything on the table and sat too. Chihiro suddenly appear with her uniform still looking messy.

"Chihiro! You look messy! Comb your hair!" Yumiko scolded Chihiro who still hasn't combed her hair properly. Chihiro took out a comb and fix her hair then tied them into a ponytail as usual. Then the four of them started eating breakfast. Noticing that they might be late for school if they don't hurry, Chihiro quickly finish her milk and Haku did the same.

"We'll be going now!" Both Haku and Chihiro said that to Akihiko and Yumiko who are still eating their breakfast.

Yumiko suddenly stood up and stopped the two kids, "Wait! I forgot to give you two your uniform's tie!"

She hurries to Chihiro's room and bring back down two black ties. Haku and Chihiro quickly put on their ties and left the house. Chihiro climbed onto her bicycle and Haku sat beside her. While they are on their way, Haku suddenly suggested something.

"Chihiro, teach me how to cycle."

"You want to know how to cycle?" Chihiro is kind of surprised to hear that request from Haku.

"Yes. So I can bring you to school instead of you bringing me."

Chihiro blushes a bit when she heard that and ask, "You want to bring me to school?"

"Yes." Haku thinks it is better if he is the one cycling. He is bigger in size than Chihiro and it must be heavy to have him behind her as she cycles. Plus, he is more than willing to bring Chihiro to school.

Chihiro is still blushing over what Haku just said and didn't realize that they had already reached school until Haku told her, "Chihiro, isn't this the school we're attending?"

Chihiro stopped too suddenly and it almost made the two of them fall, "Oops! Sorry! I wasn't concentrating!"

They climbed down from the bicycle and Chihiro put aside her bicycle, "Hurry, Haku! We might be late!"

Chihiro and Haku are both in the 5th grade. There are three classes in the 5th grade at that school and both of them are in class 5-2.

"Don't worry too much, the people in this class are nice! The teachers in this school are all very friendly too!" Chihiro said to Haku, trying to make him less nervous.

When Chihiro opened the door, their homeroom teacher, Mr. Kobayashi, is already in front of everyone in the class. But she is sure they are both on time.

Mr. Kobayashi looks like he is on his sixties. His head is almost bald, with only few grey hairs. He is thin and somehow short, with a friendly-looking face. He turned to the door when he realized Chihiro and Haku had arrived, "There you are!" Mr. Kobayashi turned to the other students and said, "Everyone, we have a new student today. He is new in this town too so make sure everyone will be friendly!"

Chihiro went to her own seat, which is at the last row. Haku then walked to Mr. Kobayashi's side and can now clearly see everyone in the room. All tables are separated from one another and there are approximately twenty students. It seems like the number of boys and girls are equal and everyone seems nice.

"Let me introduce him to everyone! His name is Kohaku Hayami. He is ten years old though he is surprisingly looking older than his age." Haku and Chihiro tensed a bit after hearing that from Mr. Kobayashi. "I hope everyone will be nice to the new student, okay?"

"Okay!" Most students answered that and Mr. Kobayashi realized all girls except Chihiro are blushing while looking at Haku. Mr. Kobayashi did realize Haku is really good-looking and is taller than most of the boys in class. His smile is warm and gentle which made the girls blush more. Chihiro seems to have noticed that too and suddenly notice how Haku looks so nice in his uniform. Chihiro hid her face with her hands, not wanting anyone to see her blush.

Mr. Kobayashi asked Haku to say a few words and it took few seconds before Haku thought of something to say.

"Everyone can just call me Haku. Nice to meet everyone." The girls just blushed more and it made Haku feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, where can Haku sit…" Mr. Kobayashi looked around the classroom and found an empty seat at the corner of the last row. It is right beside the window and it happens to be beside Chihiro too. "There's a seat beside Chihiro, why don't you sit there?"

Haku sighed in relief, thankful that he gets to sit beside Chihiro. He walked pass girls who are still looking at him with shinning eyes and blushing faces.

After Haku sat down, Chihiro leaned to his direction and whispered, "The girls in our class just become your fan girls."

Haku just looked at Chihiro and laughed a bit. Lessons soon started and Haku is glad Yumiko prepared notebooks and stationeries for him.

During recess, three girls went to Haku's desk to talk to him.

The girl in the middle started talking, "Hello there, Haku!" Her voice sounds flirty and it made Haku slightly annoyed. He looked up and saw that the one talking has long, curly and blonde hair. She seems a bit taller than Chihiro but Haku still finds Chihiro cuter. "My name is Yui Nakamura, I hope we can become close friends."

"Nice to meet you too." Haku smiled a bit though he felt forced. But he knows he sound still be friendly since these girls don't mean any harm, he hopes.

"My name is Miyu Satou!" The girl in the right said. She has short and light brown hair and looks about the same size as Chihiro.

The one at the left is also about the same size as Chihiro and has long, straight and black hair, "My name is AmayaWatanabe, nice to meet you, Haku!"

Haku just smiled at the three of them as they told him to approach him whenever he needs help. He feels uncomfortable with the three of them around but he just kept quiet about it.

He was able to see Chihiro even with the three of them blocking his view. She is obviously upset though Haku doesn't really know the reason for that.

The bell that signaled that recess was over rang and the three girls said bye and left to go to their own seats at the front row.

Chihiro whispered something to Haku again, "Three cute girls talked to you on your first day of school, lucky you."

Haku just looked at Chihiro, not sure if she meant what she said or she was being sarcastic. He laughed a bit and said, "I find you cuter."

Chihiro had no idea how red her face was but she is definitely blushing like mad. She quickly hid her face with her notebook and didn't bother to reply Haku. This just amuses Haku more and he goes back paying attention to what the teacher is saying.

During lunch time, Haku and Chihiro ate the lunch Yumiko prepared for them together, making all the girls in class jealous. Chihiro felt uncomfortable having jealous girls looking at her when she is eating. It was as if their glares were daggers that are stabbing her from behind. But Haku looks like he is not disturbed and ate his lunch in peace.

The rest of the day went by quite fast and Haku even gets to talk to the other boys a bit. The boys in their class are really friendly and even asked Haku to play sports with them this Saturday at school.

Haku is closest with Akio Itou among the boys. Akio has short and blonde hair, around 2 cm shorter than Haku and has a cheerful and friendly attitude. Haku is comfortable being around Akio and he thinks they will become close friends from now on.

The bell rang, telling every student that it is time to go home. After fixing their things, Chihiro and Haku left the classroom and cycle back home.

"Can you teach me how to cycle this evening?" Haku asked, while looking up at the blue sky. Today is a fine day and it doesn't seem like it will rain at all.

"There's no homework or anything else to do so I guess I can teach you today. Let's go back and put our bags first then we'll go to a nearby park to start the practice!"

After putting down their bags at home, Haku and Chihiro left the house to start their practice. But before leaving, they could hear Yumiko said, "Don't stay out for too long! We'll talk about your first day at school during dinner, Haku!"

"Sure!" Yumiko could hear Haku's respond and smiled to herself.

They reached a nearby park by walking for only 5 minutes and are glad to see that the place isn't too crowded, suitable to practice cycling. The park is full of beautiful green trees and the wind soothes the hearts of the two of them.

"A great day to start your cycling practice indeed!" Chihiro said as she stretches before giving Haku the lessons. "Alright, let's start!"

Haku climbed up the bicycle while Chihiro followed him, keeping the bicycle balanced. Chihiro is not surprised to see Haku learning in a fast speed. There are times when Haku almost fell down and it just makes Chihiro laugh. Haku will just give her a look that shows that he is embarrassed but Chihiro will just continue laughing.

The sun is already setting and the park is getting less crowded. Chihiro suddenly let go of the bicycle and Haku cycled on his own. Chihiro smiled widely when she saw that Haku was able to cycle along the path without her help. Realizing he had already learnt how to cycle on his own, Haku turned around to give Chihiro a wide and happy smile.

Chihiro blushed a bit, just like earlier on at school, when she saw that cute smile of his. She managed to make sure Haku didn't see her blushing face as he got down from the bicycle and walk to her.

"Thanks for teaching me how to cycle, Chihiro. From tomorrow onwards, let me be the one to bring us to school." Haku said as he stretches after his cycling training. "Let's go home now then. Dinner should already be ready."

Chihiro nodded and the two of them walked back home. During their walk, Haku suddenly said something that made Chihiro happy, "You know what, Chihiro? I'm glad I get to spend days like this with you."

Chihiro blushes again and look at Haku's direction, realizing that he is also looking at her. Not wanting to let him see her blush, she quickly looked down to the ground and spoke, "Me too. I'm glad you're here, Haku."

The two of them felt blessed and grateful for being able to stay at each other's side. Neither of them wants days like this to suddenly disappear and become impossible for them to reach.

The two of them didn't know when it started, but they held hands as they walk back home, feeling happy just to have the other person right there with them right this moment.

Author's Space: That's it for chapter 3! I hope I get to write Chapter 4 soon. I hope you liked this chapter and the story so far! Thank you for reading and I also hope you will review to let me know what you think! Bye now!


	4. Growing Up Together

Author's Space: Hi again, everyone! I'm glad I get the chance to write today since I didn't get the chance to do so yesterday. I'm writing while I'm inside the car so forgive me if there are some mistakes (I tend to get headaches if I use gadgets inside the car). I have a test tomorrow and homework which I haven't finish so I'm afraid I can't write if I get home tonight. So here I am, writing while I'm outside! Plus, I like writing! I would like to thank everyone who reads and reviewed this fanfic, I really appreciate it! So without further ado, I present to everyone Chapter 4!

To Chris Shino: I apologize for my mistakes! I promise I'll be more careful from now on! Thank you for your advices! I really appreciate them because it actually gives me chances to improve myself which is something I really hope for! I hope you will continue reading this fanfic and give me more advices and suggestions! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 4: Growing Up Together

Being in Chihiro's world had allowed Haku to grow up like any other humans. Without Haku and Chihiro realizing it, around two years had passed and now they are in the first grade of junior high school.

Haku's first two years attending school went smoothly. His grades had always been the highest in class. He is a popular guy, not only among the girls in his class, but also among other girls in the school and even seniors! Always playing sports with other boys from school during Saturdays, Haku became really skilled in terms of sports and even became the captain of his primary school's basketball team. Being the captain of the basketball team, he had guided his team to won a lot of matches and tournaments, making everyone from school and home proud of him and the whole team.

Haku has a chance to go to a better junior high school but he decides to follow Chihiro wherever she goes since her grades are mostly average. Feeling bad that Haku didn't go to a better school because of her, she decides to work extra harder so they can both excel in their studies and go to top schools together.

Chihiro's parents already treat Haku as their own son though deep inside their hearts, they know they can count of him to take care of their only daughter in the future.

It is the morning of their first day as junior high school students and as always, Haku wakes up first before Chihiro. He always baths first before waking Chihiro up, making sure she gets ready in time and they won't be late for school.

Haku will help Yumiko with breakfast every morning and the four of them will eat breakfast together on the dining table. Chihiro will always look messy and sleepy while Haku will always look tidy and ready to start the day.

Ever since Haku learnt how to cycle, he will have Chihiro sit at the back seat as he cycles the two of them to school. The usually still sleepy Chihiro will always hug Haku from the back seat and put her hands on his waist, making sure she won't fall from the bicycle while she is still not fully awake yet.

The junior high school they're attending is slightly further away from home compared to their primary school. Haku made a mental note on that and thinks they better start waking up a little bit earlier so they won't be late for school. They reached their new school and both of them could see that it is bigger and nicer than their previous school, making both of them excited on their first day.

Their new school uniform is somehow similar to their primary school uniform. Both boys and girls wear white blouse with a red tie. The boys wear long and black pants while the girls wear a black skirt that reaches a little bit above their knees.

They got off from the bicycle and Haku put it on one area outside the school specifically for bicycles of students. Chihiro is full of smiles as she walks pass the front gate with Haku. Both of them are about to walk into the white building of the school when their names could be heard from behind.

"Haku! Chihiro!"

The two of them turn around and spotted Akio Itou among other people they don't recognize. Chihiro never really did talk to Akio before Haku came to this world. But ever since Haku attended school and became close to Akio, Chihiro became close friends with Akio too. The three of them often eat lunch together at school and even hang out during the weekends. Chihiro sometimes follow Haku on Saturdays when he will play sports with other boys including Akio. But she never play, she just sits at the side and watch. Sports had always been Chihiro's weakness and so far, she has no intention to fix that.

"Hello there, Akio! Glad to know we are in the same school again." Haku said. He did expect Akio to attend this school since his grades are almost the same as Chihiro. This school is indeed one of the best choices and he expects to see people from his previous school attending this school too.

Akio smiles and looks as cheerful as ever, "I'm glad I was accepted into this school! I'm happier to know the two of you attend this school too!" The appearances of the three of them did not change much but they did get taller, especially Haku and Akio. Haku is still the tallest among the three of them though while Chihiro is the shortest. Everyone's hairstyle did not change but Chihiro's hair is a little bit longer now and she still ties them up into a ponytail using the hair tie she received from Zeniba back at the Spirit World. This hair tie has become Chihiro's treasure which she will cherish forever.

Haku and Chihiro smile at Akio who always manages to make them smile even during their worst moments. The three of them walk together to their class, hoping they will be in the same class again. They are classmates in the 5th and 6th grade and they would like that to continue.

After knowing they will again be classmates this year, the three of them has smiles on their faces. They enter their classroom, hoping their new homeroom teacher will be as nice as Mr. Kobayashi, who was their homeroom teacher in their 5th and 6th grade.

Upon entering their new classroom, they realize most of their new classmates are people they don't know. Haku only spotted three kids from their previous school but he don't really know them that well. He doesn't even remember their names but he smiles at them when they saw him. Haku is known to be a friendly person and everybody likes him.

Chihiro was somehow relief to see that the three girls who approached Haku on his first day of school two years ago are not attending this school. Chihiro expects that already though, since their grades are really bad. The three of them always talk to Haku in flirty ways whenever they have the chance, which never failes to annoy Chihiro.

She just wouldn't admit she is jealous no matter how many times Akio explains to her that she is upset because of jealousy. She will always say this to Akio, "I'm not jealous. I just find them annoying." And everytime Chihiro says that, Akio will just smile and shakes his head. Akio knows very well that both Haku and Chihiro have special feelings for each other but he decides to keep quiet for now and see what happens next.

The three of them decide to sit at the last row. The seating arrangement is the same as their previous school, all desk are separated from one another. Haku sat beside the window with Chihiro at his right side and Akio at the right side of Chihiro.

They sat down quietly as they observe their new classmates while waiting for their homeroom teacher to come in. They all seem nice like their previous classmates and it seems like everyone will get along just fine.

Some students who aren't sitting on their seats quickly sat down when the homeroom teacher goes into the class.

Chihiro feels a bit nervous when their homeroom teacher is already standing in front of the class. But all the nervous feelings vanish into thin air when he smiled. He seems to be in his early thirties, height approximately 180cm and has short and light brown hair similar to the hair colour of Chihiro.

The man's good-looking appearance and warm smile had earn blushes from most girls in class. Chihiro just sat there looking at him, waiting for him to start introducing himself.

Chihiro didn't have to wait too long because soon after he clears his throat, he starts talking, "Hello, everyone. My name is Kai **Tsukimori.** You may call me Mr. Kai. I hope this year will be a great one for us! It is everyone's first day as junior high students but please don't be nervous. Things might be slightly harder than primary school but I and other teachers are all ready to assist everyone. So let me welcome everyone here to class 1-2!"

Earlier on, Chihiro notice that there are a total of six classes for the first grade. This just proves that this school is quite a big one and there will be all sorts of people. She just hopes there won't be any unnecessary troubles.

The lesson soon starts afterwards and Chihiro is excited to start studying. She just can't wait to make sure she'll improve her grades so she can make her parents proud, just like how they are so proud of Haku. Of course her parents are proud of her too, but she knows she should do better.

During break time, Haku and Akio was sitting around Chihiro's desk when she realize a lot of their female classmates are looking at their way. Haku and Akio just continue talking and they don't seem to notice the attention they're getting.

Haku and Akio have always been popular among the girls. Both of them are great basketball players and are friendly to almost everybody. Plus, the two of them are really good-looking. Haku seems to be getting more attention than Akio though, as usual.

Chihiro feels uncomfortable if they are getting too much attention from others while Haku and Akio feels less uncomfortable than her. What makes Chihiro most uncomfortable are the glares of the girls she receives once in a while.

All her previous classmates know that she lives under the same roof as Haku but because they had known one another for years, the girls in their previous class didn't show their jealousy in front of Chihiro since they don't wish to make her feel uncomfortable.

The girls in their class don't know she lives with Haku yet but they are already showing their jealousy towards her just knowing they are close friends. Chihiro just can't imagine how they will react if they know they live together. She just hopes they won't go crazy and start charging at her like mad bulls.

The lessons are indeed harder but with Haku's help, Chihiro is able to understand the lessons more. School might be a new thing to Haku but it is never a problem for him which is something Chihiro is envious of.

The day ended quite fast and the three of them haven't really know their otherYumiko always prepares lunch for Haku and Chihiro and sometimes, Yumiko will prepare more food so they can share them with Akio too. Akio's parents are usually busy with work so he often eats the food from the school's canteen. Being the only child, Akio is often lonely living with his busy parents. But he is grateful he has close friends like Haku and Chihiro who are always there to be with him.

Today, Yumiko prepares more food and the three of them share them among themselves during lunch. It is always fun to eat together rather than eating by yourself.

The day ended quite fast. At the front gate, Haku and Chihiro bid goodbye to Akio who begins cycling back to his home. As Haku cycles back home, Chihiro looks up at the sky that is still bright since it is still around 3PM.

During dinner that night, Haku and Chihiro told both Akihiko and Yumiko about their new school. Compared to Chihiro, Haku is considered quiet. But by spending time with Chihiro's family, Haku is slowly becoming a little bit more talkative, which is something Chihiro notices and she is glad about it.

Whenever Chihiro complains about the attention they get from their classmates because of Haku and Akio during dinner, Yumiko will laugh and say, "You should be proud that both of your closest friends are popular!"

Chihiro would just pout, not really agreeing with what her mom says all the time. Haku would just laugh softly and continue eating, thinking that Chihiro looks adorable whenever she complains about that.

He never really mined people looking at him all the time and neither does Akio. Both of them simply ignore the attention they're getting unless someone actually approaches them. The two of them are always friendly even to people they don't know. But as long as that person won't bring harm or troubles, they would just smile and talk to them for a bit. Although there are times when some girls are too flirty and annoying that it make both boys feel uncomfortable.

After dinner, Haku went back to his own room. Two years ago after his first week of school, Haku's own room was already prepared for him with the help of Akihiko and Yumiko. The size of the room is the same as Chihiro's room. The wall's colour is white and the floor is decorated with white ceramics. In front of the door is where the only window of the room is located. Haku's bed is also the same size as Chihiro's bed, more than enough for him to sleep on.

The bed is right beside the window, so Haku often stares at the sky which is usually decorated with shinning stars as he lays down on his bed and begins falling asleep.

His desk and drawers are placed in front of his bed, both are coloured brown and look nice.

Haku is a tidy person so his room always appears neat and nice. In the other hand, Chihiro is not as tidy as Haku so Yumiko often scolds her for making her room messy and not tidying it up.

Chihiro would get annoyed because she thinks her room is already neat enough. Haku would then just laugh at the annoyed Chihiro.

That night, Chihiro couldn't sleep although it is already 12AM. She sat up on her bed and starts to walk to Haku's room.

It became a habit of Chihiro's to go to Haku's room whenever she can't sleep at night. Haku would then wake up from his sleep whenever Chihiro goes into his room in the middle of the night. They would talk and laugh softly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping Akihiko and Yumiko.

Every time Chihiro can't sleep and goes to Haku's room, she would end up sleeping in his room. Since the bed is enough to fit both of them, they would share the blanket as they sleep. Haku will stay awake and will only sleep if Chihiro already falls asleep.

It is as if there is magic going on because Chihiro will always manage to sleep if Haku is there beside her. But she knows very well that this is not magic. She just feels protected and safe whenever she is with Haku even though he is just a normal person right now. It is as if nothing bad will happen as long as Haku is there with her. Even if he is not there, she feels that he will directly go to her whenever she needs him to be there.

Tonight, Chihiro sleeps in Haku's room again and she looks relax even in her sleep. She always looks relax while sleeping with Haku because she knows she can depend on him.

Haku hugs Chihiro as they sleep as a form of protection. Even as a normal human being, Haku's senses are better than any other human beings. He is a really alert person that can sense changes in the environment well.

That is why he will wake up directly whenever Chihiro opens his room's door late at night. Chihiro never has to wake him up because he will start sitting up on his bed as she gets nearer to his bed. Somehow, this just makes Chihiro feel safer.

Haku never locks his room because he knows Chihiro will come in whenever she can't sleep and it happens quite often, probably once every two weeks.

Morning came soon and Haku woke up. He gets off his bed slowly, not wanting to wake Chihiro up from her sleep.

He is waking Chihiro up after he finish showering. He only has his pants on and is still shirtless. He places his towel around his neck as he softly taps on Chihiro's arm to wake her up.

Chihiro slowly opens her eyes, not wanting to wake up because she is still feeling sleepy. But when a shirtless Haku is in her sights, her eyes become wide open and her face was blushing. She quickly gets off the bed and start showering.

It is not as if she never sees a shirtless Haku. But lately, Chihiro feels that Haku is slightly different than before. Not only has he grown taller, but his body is beginning to become more muscular too, making him look even more handsome. Just thinking of that makes Chihiro blush madly. Little does Chihiro knows, she is also undergoing some changes she didn't notice.

After breakfast, Haku was at his room preparing his bag when Yumiko approaches Chihiro who was at her room fixing her things too.

"Chihiro, I want to talk to you about something." Yumiko starts talking in a serious tone.

Chihiro turns to her mom, wondering what she wants to say, "What is it, Mom?"

"It's about you sleeping in Haku's room again." Yumiko looks worried but Chihiro don't understand why. Both her parents know she will sleep in Haku's room whenever she can't sleep but they never really talk to her about it.

Yumiko clears her throat and starts explaining, "You may not notice it yet, Chihiro, but both you and Haku is growing up already. Soon, the two of you will no longer be kids like how you used to be."

Yumiko notices that Chihiro does not understand what she is trying to tell her so she went straight to the point, "You shouldn't sleep on the same bed with Haku from now on."

Chihiro blinks her eyes a few times in confusion then finally speaks, "But why?!"

"It's difficult to explain. Let's just say that it might bring problems later on." Yumiko really don't know how to explain things to Chihiro.

Haku happens to hear the whole conversation so he goes into Chihiro's room, surprising Yumiko by doing so.

Haku understands what Yumiko is trying to say, he smiles at her and say, "Don't worry, nothing will happen. Trust me."

Knowing that Haku understands what she is trying to tell Chihiro, Yumiko smiles back at Haku. Haku is a boy she can trust and his words had made all her worries go away. She then leaves the still confused Chihiro with Haku.

Haku smiles at the speechless Chihiro and holds one of her hands. Chihiro was snapped out of her confusion and looks at Haku in the eyes as he says, "Come on, Chihiro. We'll be late for school if we don't go now."

Haku's smile makes Chihiro smile back at him as they both left the house for school.

Haku will always protect Chihiro and will never do anything to harm her and both of Chihiro's parents know that very well now.

The two of them will be growing up together and what could possibly happen from now on?

Author's Space: That's it for Chapter 4! I hope everyone likes it! Now, I need to start studying for my test tomorrow and finish my homework (Reached home now, it took hours in total for me to finish writing this chapter since I fell asleep in the car just now). Please wait for the next chapter! I promise I will write and update as soon as I can! Kindly review to tell me what you think of this chapter! Thank you for reading and bye now!


	5. The Change

Author's Space: Hello, everyone! I hope everyone is doing fine! Thanks to everyone who reads my story, I really appreciate it! I'm still thinking of what new story to write though. I'm planning to write a new story on another anime/manga but I don't have any concrete plans as of now. But of course, I will continue writing and updating this story and concentrate on making this story and my other on-going stories something everyone will enjoy reading! So here is Chapter 5 for everyone, hope you'll like it!

Chapter 5: The Change

Ever since Yumiko tells Chihiro not to sleep with Haku whenever she can't sleep at night, Chihiro really didn't do so afterwards. It's been three months since then and Chihiro often feels lonely, not being able to be with Haku during those quiet nights when she just can't get herself to sleep. Being with Haku makes her feel safe. It is as if that whatever happens; he'll be there to protect her at all cost.

It's a Monday morning and Chihiro still feels sleepy as Haku cycles towards their school. The morning breeze feels fresh and as Haku looks up to the clear and blue sky, he have a feeling it'll be a nice sunny day today.

Chihiro is behind Haku when they walk to their classroom. Almost everyone in school now knows the two of them lives together, making Haku's entire fan girls upset because of jealousy. But because Haku and Akio are always there to make sure none of the jealous girls will hurt Chihiro, they don't have a chance to lay their hands on her.

Around two months ago, a girl in class 1-1 tried to splash water on Chihiro from a pail. But fortunately, Haku saw it from afar and quickly stop that girl just in time. He gave that girl a glare so scary that she ran off and never approach Haku or Chihiro again.

That is the first time someone actually tries to hurt her. Even though getting splashed by water doesn't hurt, she might catch a cold later on and that spells trouble. Her parents will ask about it and if she really says, "Haku's fan girl got jealous because I stay in the same house as him so she splashed water on me." Who knows what might happen next!

Most of the girls, including some from her class, often show unhappiness in their faces to Chihiro. Some even say things such as, "Some people get what they don't deserve." or "Look at that girl! She has no rights to be close to Haku and Akio!" They always speak in such a way that Chihiro would hear them, loud and clear.

It's been almost three months that this kind of abuse is happening. Akio and Haku notice all of these and often warn the girls not to disturb Chihiro. But the girls just don't do mean things when Haku and Akio are around. Once the two guys are not with Chihiro, the disturbing starts.

Chihiro tries to comfort herself by saying, "At least I'm not hurt or injured by them."

She doesn't want to bother Haku and Akio with this problem since it's mostly verbal disturbance as of now. The girls might hate her more if she makes the two guys approach them and say not to disturb her.

At least some girls aren't crazy fan girls and still talks to Chihiro nicely. A girl in her class, Akane Suzuki, isn't one of Haku or Akio's fan girls and is a really nice girl. Sometimes, when Haku and Akio would play basketball during lunch, she would go to Chihiro and talk to her.

Akane has about the same height as Chihiro and has black and long wavy hair. In Chihiro's opinion, Akane looks like a fairy since she is really cute. She is a gentle and feminine girl but doesn't stand out much because she is usually quiet in class. Besides Chihiro, she sometimes also talks to Hana Fujiwara, a quiet girl who looks quiet alike with Akane and is about the same in height too. Difference is that Hana has short and brown curly hair. Both of them look like fairies and the main reason is because both of them aren't fan girls of Haku and Akio and won't cause troubles to Chihiro. Chihiro does talk to Hana sometimes but she talks to Akane more.

Both Akane and Hana may not stand out much because they are quiet, but some boys in class do find them cute.

Unlike Chihiro who never seem to receive any praise. As far as she can remember, only Haku said she is cute. Well, not that she wants praises or anything, but sometimes Chihiro feels out of place. Haku, Akio, Akane and Hana are people who others give praises to. Yet, even though she is their friend, she never receives such compliments. Continuous disturbing from Haku and Akio's fan girls is what she always receives and now she wonders, "Is this what I deserve?"

It's lunch time now and Chihiro is sitting alone on her desk as she looks out the window. Everyone, including her, is done eating and is just waiting for the next lessons to start. Haku and Akio went to play basketball while Akane and Hana have some projects to do for their Art Club. Haku and Akio are part of the basketball team while Akane and Hana are part of the Art Club. But Chihiro doesn't intend to join anything since she thinks she's not talented anyway.

Through the window, she can see the basketball court and she spots Haku playing with some classmates and seniors. The way Haku dribbles and shots make him look really cool and she could hear girls cheering for him. She sighs and looks away, resting her head on the desk.

"Looks like I don't deserve to be with Haku, after all. Look at him and me, so many differences." Those are in Chihiro's thoughts and suddenly, someone taps her shoulder from behind.

Chihiro is kind of surprised at the sudden feeling of someone's hand on her shoulder and quickly look behind her and calls out the name of the one who suddenly appears without her noticing, "Akio!"

"Sorry, I must have startled you!" Akio looks kind of worried but Chihiro smiles at him, assuring him that she is fine.

"Why aren't you playing, Akio?" Chihiro asks, since she knows Akio likes playing basketball, just like Haku.

"I don't feel like playing anymore so I come back to class." Akio takes a nearby chair as place is near Chihiro and sits down. Akio places his hands on Chihiro's table and rests his chin on them as he looks at Chihiro with curious eyes.

Feeling that the way Akio is looking at her is unusual, Chihiro asks, "Why are you looking at me that way?"

Akio sits up straight and looks more serious than earlier on, "Something is bugging you, right?"

Chihiro just stares into Akio's eyes, not knowing what to say. Akio has always been good at looking through Chihiro and she is glad he is always there to make her feel better.

Chihiro smiles and says, "It's nothing big, really."

Akio frowns a little and says, "I don't think so. Say what's wrong and maybe I could help you."

Chihiro really feels grateful to have Akio as one of her close friends. She knows he will try his best to help her so she guesses it's a better idea for her to talk to him about what's troubling her, "Well, I just feel that I don't deserve to be Haku or your close friend."

Akio is about to argue about that but Chihiro continues talking, "The two of you are popular while I'm just a plain girl who gets disturbed. Akane and Hana too, they are both cute and talented in arts while I have no talent at all. I really don't deserve to be close to any of you, right?"

Akio feels sad to know Chihiro thinks that way and tries to comfort her, "That's not true! What matters most is the attitude, right? You're kind, nice and caring, the best type of friend someone can get!"

Chihiro just smiles though she still looks sad. She then looks through the window again, looking sadder when she sees Haku, playing while the girls cheer for him from the sidelines.

Noticing that Chihiro is looking at Haku with sad eyes, Akio starts talking again, "Let me guess. You think that you don't deserve to be close to Haku because you think you're just a plain girl. His fan girls keep on making mean comments that had hurt you and made you think this way. You think you don't deserve to even like him, don't you?"

Chihiro blushes as she looks at Akio. Everything he says are spot on and Chihiro is wondering if things are really that obvious.

Knowing that what he says is all true, Akio smiles and says, "Come on, Chihiro. Don't think that way! Ignore all those mean comments because they're not true!" Chihiro don't seem to believe what Akio is saying so he tries to persuade her again, "If Haku has to choose the girl to be with him, I'm sure he'll choose you because nobody is a better choice than you!"

"What?!" Now Chihiro has to shout a bit to express her embarrassment. She looks around and is glad nobody is looking at her.

Akio smiles wider and tries to think of something to help Chihiro stop thinking that way, "You're not plain looking at all, you know. What you need is confidence!"

Chihiro blinks as she looks at Akio, somehow looking excited to help the sad girl in front of him. The bell suddenly rings, surprising both Chihiro and Akio.

Akio then stands up and faces Chihiro, "Let's go somewhere after school! I'll help you build up confidence!" Akio then goes to his own seat as the teacher comes in, not giving Chihiro time to talk.

After several seconds, Haku comes in to the classroom too, sweat covering his body. He looks a bit tired as he sits down on his own seat and smiles at Chihiro. Remembering what Akio said earlier on, Chihiro turns away and blushes. Haku finds Chihiro acting weird right now but decides to leave it be for now since the lessons are already starting.

After school, Akio makes up a lie to say to Haku about Chihiro coming with him, "Haku! I need Chihiro's help with buying a present for my Mom so why don't you go home first?" The three of them are at the front gate and Haku is about to climb up the bicycle. Chihiro just stands behind Akio, hoping Haku could believe his lie.

"Present? Is it her birthday or something?" Haku asks, feeling something odd about it.

Akio smiles and says, "Nope! She is feeling upset these days so I intend to buy a present to cheer her up!"

Even though Akio doesn't spend lots of time with his parents, Haku knows he cares for them a lot so he believe what Akio just said, "Okay then. I'll go home first since I won't be much help with choosing presents. Make sure you come home on time for dinner, Chihiro. Bye now!" After bidding goodbye, Haku cycles away from the two of them and as soon as Haku is out of their sight, they sigh in relief.

Chihiro looks a little worried when she asks, "All of that is a lie right? Is your Mother okay?"

Akio smiles at Chihiro and answers, "She's fine! Just busy with work, as usual."

Akio takes his bicycle and tells Chihiro to sit at the back seat. Chihiro just do as he says and asks when Akio already starts cycling, "Where are we going, Akio?"

"A place where you can gain confidence on yourself! You'll see!" Akio sounds really excited and happy; making Chihiro thinks everything will be okay. Plus, it's Akio and she trusts him.

Before she knows it, they already reach their destination. Chihiro gets down the bicycle and see where Akio had brought her to.

Her face is showing that she is confused as she observes the place, "A kindergarten?" The kindergarten in front of her is one storey tall, the walls are painted light blue and there are beautiful green plants surrounding the place. Beside the kindergarten are just empty land with green grass and houses could only be seen around 10 meters away.

Akio starts walking towards the door of the kindergarten and turns to Chihiro, "Well, come in! This kindergarten belongs to my Father's friend so I sometimes come here to play with the kids."

"Isn't it late already? Shouldn't the kids be home by now?" Chihiro asks, still not moving from her previous position.

Akio asks her to go in again after saying, "Some kids from this kindergarten stays until this time of the day to play with the other kids. My Father's friend thinks it's okay to let them play around until this time and that's why I get to come here sometimes to play with them during weekdays."

After hearing that from Akio, Chihiro follows him into the place. Inside, the walls are also light blue in colour and the place is quite spacious. Around 75% of the floor is covered with a cream carpet. Beside the door is the receptionist's desk. The receptionist is a young woman, probably in her early 20s, and has long, black and straight hair. She smiles at Akio and says, "Hello there, Akio. Looks like you brought a friend over today."

Chihiro smiles at her and thinks that the receptionist is friendly, "Hello there."

Akio smile too as he removes his shoes, "Hello there, Ms. Yamada!" Seeing Akio removing his shoes, Chihiro did the same.

As the two of them step onto the carpet, Chihiro can see six children running around, probably playing catch or something. The six kids stop playing when they see Akio and runs to him, "Big Brother Akio!"

All the six kids, four boys and two girls in their uniforms, are so small that they only reach around Akio's knees. The boys wear light blue blouse and short dark blue pants while the girls wear light pink blouse and dark pink skirt that reaches their knees. Akio smiles at them and says, "Hey there! I brought a close friend of mine over today and make sure all of you are nice to her, okay?"

"Okay!" The kids answer and turn to Chihiro. Chihiro looks a little nervous to see the kids starting to approach her but tries to stay calm and smile at them, "H-hello, everyone! My name is Chihiro Ogino!"

The kids all look really friendly and greet Chihiro with their cute voices and faces, "Hello there, Big Sister Chihiro! Would you like to play with us?"

"S-sure!" One of the girls hold onto Chihiro's hand and pulls her closer to the center. The girl then says, "Let's play catch!"

Chihiro is worried she'll do something wrong but Akio places one of his hand on her shoulder and say, "Don't worry! Relax and have fun!"

Chihiro takes a deep breath and smiles back at Akio. Then, she faces the kids and plays with them.

Chihiro is having so much fun with the kids that she didn't realize two hours already pass by. Besides playing catch, she reads story books to the kids, taking them to fairytale worlds for a few moments. Sometimes, Chihiro would just sit on the carpet and watch the kids run around while smiling and shouting, and somehow it makes Chihiro feel happy. Akio spends most of his time playing with the kids too. But soon, he wants to rest already so he sits beside Chihiro on the carpet, doing nothing but just watch the kids play around happily.

One of the boys, whose name is Hiroshi, approaches Chihiro when she is sitting down with Akio. He is really cute with his big eyes and soft-looking short and brown hair. He suddenly hugs Chihiro and it surprises her. But it gives me nice and peaceful feeling to Chihiro and she hugs the little boy back too. The little boy then breaks the hug and looks at Chihiro in the eyes as he says, "Thank you for playing with us today, Big Sister Chihiro! You're a nice person! You're pretty too! I like your smile! You'll come back again to play with us, right?" The little boy looks so sincere that Chihiro feels so touched after hearing what he just said. A nice and pretty person in the little boy's eyes is the Chihiro that she herself thinks is just a plain girl.

The others approach Chihiro too, aftering hearing what Hiroshi just said. The others hug Chihiro too, making her lose her balance for a while. Chihiro tries to hug all of them back with a smile and hears them say things like, "That's right! Come back and play with us again next time!", "We really like you, Big Sister Chihiro!" and "We're glad that someone as kind and pretty as you would play with us! You have a beautiful smile too!"

Hearing those sincere words from Chihiro makes her feel really happy and she can't help but smile even more.

Soon, the parents of all the kids came to pick them up. Chihiro bid goodbye to all of them and hopes she gets to find time to come and play with them again. They say goodbye to the receptionist and leaves the kindergarten.

Akio and Chihiro are on the bicycle and Akio is cycling towards Chihiro's home when he suddenly talks, "The kids find you kind, pretty and someone with a beautiful smile, right? You should know that those kids back at the kindergarten don't lie about such things."

Chihiro just stares at the sky that is already turning dark as she hears Akio talks. Not knowing what to say, Chihiro just smiles at herself. It took a few more seconds before Chihiro replies Akio, "Thanks for today, Akio. Looks like the confidence I need finally appeared."

Akio feels happy for Chihiro and speeds up a bit, not wanting her to be late for dinner, "That's great! I hope things will become better from now on! Make sure you won't have silly thoughts anymore, okay?! Whatever happens, remember that Haku and I will be here for you! Your parents are also there to support you too! Don't forget Akane and Hana too!"

Hearing such things from Akio just makes Chihiro feel happier and more blessed. She has friends and family she can count on and that is a part of her life that means almost everything to her. She already decides on what to do already and tells Akio about it, "From now on, I will smile and ignore the mean things people say. No matter how harsh people sound, I will remember that I have family and friends that I can count on! And I know you, Haku, my parents, Akane and Hana will be there for me. Thank you for making me realizes all this, Akio."

Thinking that Chihiro already gain the confidence she needs, Akio really feels happy for her and says, "I'm glad you think that way now! And don't need to thank me, I'm more than happy to help! Oh, we've arrived at your house! Don't tell Haku the truth for now since he tends to worry a lot when it comes to you." Akio can see Chihiro blush when he says that and laugh a bit. "Just tell Haku we bought a teddy bear for my Mom if he asks about it and let's just hope he won't suspect anything!"

Chihiro nods and smiles at Akio as he is starting to cycle away, "Thanks again, Akio!"

"Welcome, Chihiro! Say Hi to your parents and Haku for me!" Akio is now quite far away from Chihiro and she has to shout to make sure he can hear her, "Okay! Bye!"

Knowing that Chihiro is back already, Haku comes out from the front door to welcome her back, "There you are, Chihiro. Welcome back."

Chihiro turns to Haku and smiles widely, something that Haku doesn't see often. Something is different with Chihiro but Haku isn't sure what it is. For some unknown reasons, it is as if Chihiro suddenly become more beautiful and cheerful, making Haku blush a bit and his heart is beating a bit faster than usual.

Chihiro walks to Haku and holds his hand, pulling him into the house, "Let's have dinner now! I'm hungry!"

Haku's blush deepens when he realizes that Chihiro is holding his hand but manages to smile and answer her, "Yeah, dinner's ready. Let's go now then."

Chihiro smiles again, making Haku almost sure that Chihiro is changing. She is still the Chihiro he knows, of course, but with more confidence and more cheerful, making her looks more beautiful than she already is. But Chihiro is changing for the better and knowing that fact is enough to let Haku knows that everything will be alright.

Seeing the sudden change in Chihiro, Haku just hopes the boys won't start approaching her. But if that really happens, he'll be more than ready to make sure they won't lay a hand on Chihiro. If they did lay a hand on her, who knows what he'll do to them. He may not be able to transform into a dragon and do any kind of magic, but Haku is still a strong person that can easily beat up whoever did anything that made him upset or angry.

The two of them go into the house and Chihiro cheerfully greets her parents, "Dad, Mom, I'm home!" Soon, everyone can see the change in Chihiro, that's for sure.

What could happen next after the change in Chihiro?

Author's Space: That's it for Chapter 5! Now, I need to go study for my test tomorrow. I hope I can write and update the next chapter soon! The next chapter will have Haku getting jealous and all! What will he do? Find out in Chapter 6! I hope everyone will continue reading it! That's it for now and thank you for reading this fanfic! If you have anything to suggest, comment or correct any mistakes I made, please review to let me know! Bye now!


	6. Misunderstanding

Author's Space: We meet again, everyone! I'm glad to know that there are people out there who like this story! It really encourages me, thank you! As for the mistakes I make, I sincerely apologize and I will continue working harder to make my fanfic better! So here is Chapter 6! Hope you'll like it!

To Chris Shino: Hello there! Thanks for wishing me good luck! I also checked about past perfect tense and I'll try to use it though I'm still slightly confused on how to do so. But don't worry! I'll try my best to make my fanfic a better one for everyone to read! I'm still somehow in the beginning of the story so there are currently almost no conflicts but soon, there will be! As for the kindergarten part, I was hesitating to write it but I decided to give it a try… I hope it wasn't too bad (Sorry!). Chihiro is just beginning to change herself but of course, it won't stop the other girls from causing her troubles! What is proofread? Thanks for reading and I'll appreciate it if you would continue reading until the end! Thanks again!

To Enecs: Hello there! I want to see a jelly Haku too! (That's why I'm including it on my story in the first place, hahaha!) Thanks for reading and support! Hope you'll like this chapter!

To MysteriousMissSirius: Hello there! Thank you for reading! Don't worry, I accept all kinds of suggestions and comments! I was kind of worried that Haku and Chihiro aren't in character and I'm glad that it is going smoothly so far! I hope you will continue reading, thanks again!

To all my readers and reviewers: I'm so happy to read reviews that encourage me to write and update more! Don't worry now, because even though school is getting really busy, I'll try to write and update as soon as I can! I'll be away from home starting next Thursday until Sunday though due to a reason (a good reason though) so I hope everyone will wait patiently if I didn't get to update again soon! So here it is (for real now), CHAPTER 6!

Chapter 6: Misunderstanding

It's still early in the morning and something surprising is happening in the house. With eyes slightly wider than usual, Haku stands in front of Chihiro's door, which is open to let him see what is inside.

"Chihiro, why are you awake?" Haku asks as he looks at Chihiro who is already in her uniform and is now tying her hair with the hair band from Zeniba.

In the other hand, Haku had just bathed and is not even in his uniform yet. Haku mumbles to himself afterwards, "Unbelievable. Usually she is still in dreamland at this time of the morning."

"I should be awake right? We have school!" Chihiro answers, thinking that Haku is asking a weird question.

"I mean…" Haku tries to explain himself, "Why are you awake at this time? It's unusual."

Haku can hear Chihiro laugh softly before saying, "I just feel like it! Perhaps it's because I'm somehow excited for school!" Chihiro has the urge to see if she can defend herself whenever some of those crazy fan girls will throw her mean words. She is just feeling curious about it so she had woke up earlier than she usually does.

Haku still finds things weird but decides to just let it be. He has a feeling things will go back to normal tomorrow. After all, he knows Chihiro well enough to be sure of that.

Chihiro is humming a song Haku doesn't know as he cycles towards school. Chihiro seems happy today, making Haku curious on what is actually going on. When they are walking towards their classroom, Akio is also there, greeting the two of them with his usual smile, "Hey there, you two!"

Chihiro greets back with her happy tone, "Hey there, Akio!"

"You look happy today, Chihiro. Anything special going on?" Akio asks, although he knows very well what is going on right now.

"Nothing really special." Chihiro answers as she opens the door, but laugh softly at Akio before doing so.

Haku frowns after seeing that, having a feeling that something is going on between Chihiro and Akio. He is not very upset or angry, but he just doesn't like the idea of having something going on between the two of them.

During recess, three of Haku's fan girls in Chihiro's class purposely sit near her as they make some nasty comments since both Haku and Akio aren't around.

The tallest girl among the three who has long and curly brown hair, whose name is Natsuyo Ogawa, is the first to speak, "You know what, some girls really don't understand where they should belong. They should know that if they're ugly, stupid and boring, they shouldn't be with the school's most good-looking, smart and talented boy. Don't you think so, girls?"

The other two laughs as they nod and the three of them are definitely waiting for a respond from Chihiro. They expect her to run away and ignore them, just like how she usually does, but Chihiro is doing almost the complete opposite.

Chihiro stands from her seat and the three girls think she is going to walk away from them, so they are laughing at Chihiro. They are so busy laughing that they don't pay attention to Chihiro who is walking towards their way.

They only realize Chihiro's presence in front of them when Chihiro starts talking, "Excuse me, it's really rude to gossip about others, you know? Especially if you purposely let her hear you. It just makes you ugly and stupid." Natsuyo is about to argue back but Chihiro continues talking, "Also, if you keep on doing things like this, people will end up finding you boring."

Chihiro's tone makes the three girls really angry. Natsuyo stands up and takes a step towards Chihiro, face showing how angry she is as she says, "Aren't you brave to talk back? I expect you to run away like how you usually do. You impress me, a little."

Chihiro just smiles, wanting to annoy Natsuyo more than she is now. Chihiro then turns around and go back to her seat and says, "You three better stop disturbing me. If Haku knows about it, he will be angry at the three of you."

Natsuyo has the urge to teach Chihiro a lesson but the bell suddenly rings and she knows Haku and Akio will be back soon. Before going back to her own seat, Natsuyo turns to Chihiro and glares as she says, "You'll be sorry for what you just said. Just wait and see."

It'll be a lie if Chihiro says she is not feeling worries or even a little scare. She is trying not to show her nervousness but Haku seems to have seen through her.

As he sits down on his seat, he looks at Chihiro and asks, "What's wrong, Chihiro? Is something bothering you?"

Chihiro had not realized Haku is already inside the class so she is a little shock to hear his voice. Chihiro just stares at Haku, still feeling worries but tries to smile, "Nothing's wrong, don't worry."

Even though Chihiro says that, Haku is very sure something is bothering her. But the lessons soon start and Haku decides to ask about it again later at lunch.

Haku, Chihiro and Akio is having lunch together today. After they are done eating, one of the basketball players in the other class comes to our class to talk to Haku. Haku leaves with him to talk and Chihiro is now alone with Akio.

Knowing that Haku is no longer able to see or hear her, she sighs loudly. Akio notices that something is bothering Chihiro and asks about it, "Did something happen? I've noticed since just now that something is bothering you."

Chihiro looks down as she replies, "Well, it's about Natsuyo."

"That crazy fan girl of Haku? Did she do something?!" Akio had always been worried about Chihiro getting disturbance from those girls.

Chihiro doesn't want Natsuyo or anyone else to hear this conversation so she suggests going somewhere else to talk, "I feel uncomfortable talking about this in the classroom. Let's go somewhere else."

After that, the two of them stand up from their seats and leaves the classroom after fixing their things they place on the desk. They decide to talk at the rooftop since nobody is up there. Chihiro sits on the floor near the door while hugging her knees. She hides her entire face except her eyes as she tries to start talking.

Akio is beginning to get more worry so he ask, "What's wrong, Chihiro? I can't help if you stay quiet."

Chihiro then stop hiding her face and rest her chin on her knees as she starts explaining what's bothering her, "During recess, Natsuyo said something mean to me and I actually built enough courage to talk back. But…"

Akio just stays quiet as he waits for Chihiro to continue talking. Chihiro sighs before continuing, "Natsuyo got angry and say I'll be sorry for what I said. She is obviously going to do something mean to me. Honestly, I'm really scared. Looks like I'll always be a weak girl."

Akio then squats down so his eye level is the same as Chihiro, "Don't say that! At least you're already brave enough to actually talk back! I know that one day, you'll grow up and become a strong girl! But if ever you need any help, I'll be there!"

Chihiro feels happy to know that she can depend on Akio to protect her. And deep inside her heart, she knows she can depend on Haku too.

Akio smiles widely as he says, "Now, now. Don't look so sad! Why won't you tell Haku about Natsuyo?"

Chihiro looks down on the ground as she answers, "I don't want to worry him too much and Natsuyo will probably cause me more troubles if she knows I told Haku bad things about her."

Akio somehow agrees about Natsuyo causing more troubles for Chihiro but he still thinks Chihiro should tell Haku about it, "Well, find time to tell Haku. I think it's better if he knows. I'm sure he'll protect you well no matter what happens!"

Chihiro smiles, agreeing with Akio that Haku will definitely protect her at his best abilities.

Akio is glad to see Chihiro smiling and put one of his hands on her head and mess with her hair a bit, "Don't worry too much, okay?"

"Thanks for everything, Akio." Chihiro is glad Akio is making her feel better. The two of them continue talking and laughing and none of them realize that Haku had just arrived by the door. He hides himself so the two of them won't see him but he can hear and see them clearly.

When he reaches the rooftop, the first thing he saw was Akio messing with Chihiro's hair and the two of them are laughing as they talk. They are just talking about messing with each other's appearance so Haku doesn't know about their earlier conversation about Natsuyo.

Haku can't find both Chihiro and Akio when he goes back to their classroom so he decides to go look for them. That is why he is here at the rooftop in the first place. Seeing the two of them having fun together, he is feeling something unpleasant in his heart. He's not really mad but he is slightly upset about what he is seeing now. He doesn't know if he is jealous or not because why is he jealous anyway? Akio is also Chihiro's close friend and she is free to talk to him the way she is now. After all, Chihiro isn't Haku's girlfriend or something so he has no right to stop her from talking to other boys the way she is talking now.

But why does Haku has the urge to go to Chihiro and pull her away from Akio right here and now?

Feeling really mess up and confusion is going around his mind, Haku decides to walk away. Chihiro and Akio never get to know that Haku saw them so they just continue talking and laughing. When Akio realizes it is almost time for the next lesson, he stands up and stretches as he says, "Let's go back to class now! It is almost time for the next lesson. Also, Haku might get worried if you're suddenly gone."

Chihiro blushes a bit when Akio say that but quickly smiles afterwards. The two of them walk back to class, still laughing about their earlier conversation.

But Chihiro stops laughing when she sees the expression on Haku's face. He is clearly upset about something and Chihiro tries to ask about it as she sits down on her seat, "Why are you looking upset, Haku? Is something wrong?"

Haku is not looking at Chihiro as he answers, "Nothing's wrong. Where were you just now?"

Chihiro feels uncomfortable hearing Haku sounding so cold and upset, "N-nowhere. Just went up to the rooftop with Akio."

"What are the two of you doing there?" Haku sounds so cold that it is beginning to scare Chihiro.

"J-just talking." Chihiro answers in a shaky voice, afraid that she is the one who causes Haku to be upset. But she doesn't remember doing anything that can make him upset.

Chihiro then tries to pay attention to the lesson since Haku is no longer talking. Akio had heard the whole conversation between Haku and Chihiro and seems to realize what is going on.

"Haku must have gone up to the rooftop just now and misunderstood us. Looks like I better explain things to him before he gets more upset than he is already now." Akio thinks to himself as he sees Chihiro looking sad.

After school, Akio tells Chihiro to leave first because he has some things to talk about to Haku. Chihiro then leaves the room first and let the two boys talk.

"Hey, Haku." Akio starts as Haku is still fixing his bag. "I think you misunderstood me and Chihiro. There's a reason why we were up at the rooftop just now."

Haku is still looking upset but after Akio explains himself, that upset look on Haku's face disappears in an instant.

Finally knowing the truth, Haku asks, "Chihiro is looking troubled earlier on because she is afraid Natsuyo will hurt her?"

"Yeah. She doesn't want to tell you about it because she doesn't want to worry you too much and she is also afraid Natsuyo will cause her more troubles if she knows Chihiro told you bad things about her." Akio explains further, wanting Haku to know clearly about what's going on.

After knowing the whole truth, Haku feels bad for being so cold towards Chihiro just now. Haku then apologizes to Akio for misunderstanding him and Chihiro but Akio just smiles and says, "Don't need to apologize! It'll normal for you to be jealous!"

"I'm not jealous. I'm just…" Haku can't find a word to describe his feelings.

Akio laughs at Haku as he starts walking towards the door, "Admit it, Haku! You're upset because you're jealous! I'll get going now! Mr. Kai asks me to meet him. I think it's because my grades are slightly worse these few days. Well, I guess this is what I get for getting lazier these days. Help me with studies when you have the time Haku! Bye now!"

Akio leaves before letting Haku has the chance to find excuses for himself. He just smiles a bit and decides to meet Chihiro at the front gate now, "I shouldn't make Chihiro wait too long. I should also apologize to her." After that, Haku leaves the classroom and is on his way to meet Chihiro.

Chihiro has a feeling Haku won't be at the front gate so soon so she decides to go to the toilet first. Almost all the students had left school already since most of them don't have any club activities today. The corridor Chihiro is walking at has nobody but herself. Though the surroundings are quiet, Chihiro does not realize the soft footsteps of three girls behind her.

Chihiro had forgot about Natsuyo wanting to teach her a lesson because her mind is full of questions regarding Haku's weird and upset behavior. Natsuyo is holding a small bucket of red paint with an evil grin on her face. The paint inside that bucket is enough to cause big troubles for Chihiro.

Natsuyo is about to throw the paint towards Chihiro but a sudden voice had surprised her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Natsuyo recognize that voice belongs to Haku and she turns to see him, forgetting about the paint for a few seconds. Haku is standing behind the three girls with an angry face. Natsuyo doesn't know what had she done to the bucket of paint but the paint is suddenly directing its way to her and the other two girls behind her.

Chihiro turns back just in time to see the red paint cover the bodies of Natsuyo and the other two girls. Chihiro doesn't know what's going on right now but she has a feeling the red paint is suppose to be directing her way from Natsuyo's hands. She can see Haku behind the three girls and now she is wondering what's really going on.

Natsuyo tries to explain herself to Haku but she is not given the chance to do so. Haku gives Natsuyo and the other two deadly glares and the three of them are too scared to say or do anything else. With red paint covering their bodies and feeling upset, they quickly get away. But before doing so, Natsuyo gave Chihiro a mean glare, as if saying, "Better be careful because I'll have another chance to teach you a lesson next time. You won't be as lucky as you are right now."

After the three girls are gone, Haku starts walking towards Chihiro. Chihiro takes a step backwards, afraid that Haku might still be in a bad mood.

Seeing Chihiro looking scared, Haku feels really bad to treat her the way he had did earlier on. Chihiro continues to look down on the ground, feeling slightly nervous. Haku finally starts talking, "Akio already told me about things between you and Natsuyo."

Chihiro quickly looks up to see Haku looking quite sad. Haku then continues talking, "I'm sorry for being mean to you just now. I saw you and Akio together at the rooftop looking so happy and I felt…" Again, Haku really has no idea how to describe his feelings and he just doesn't want to admit that he is just feeling jealous,

"Felt what?" Chihiro asks. She has no idea what is going around in Haku's head.

Haku decides to stop talking as he walks pass Chihiro, "Nothing. Let's go home now."

Things are confusing for Chihiro but she just follows Haku from behind, thinking that she shouldn't ask too much now.

Looks like what Akio had said is right, Haku will protect Chihiro well no matter what happens.

Author's Space: That's it for Chapter 6! Again, thanks for reading, everyone! I hope everyone likes this chapter (I'm still a beginner in writing fanfics so I hope I didn't write too badly). Now, I just hope I can write and update soon. If I don't, I sincerely apologize and I hope everyone will wait patiently for the next chapter! Don't worry, I promise I will write and update whenever I have time! That's it for now and thanks again, everyone! Bye now!


	7. Love Rival

Author's Space: Hello again, readers! Sorry for the long wait! I hope everyone will like this chapter too!

To RubyDemonXoXo: Hello there! I'm glad you like this story! I did thought about things going to become something like incest but don't worry! I'll think of something to make sure things don't go wrong or weird! I hope you'll continue reading this story and thanks again!

To Enecs: Hello there! HAHAHA! Here is chapter 7 now! Thanks for reading!

To Lana: Hello there! Thanks for reading and I'm glad to hear you know how to avoid people from doing mean things to you! I hope you'll like this chapter!

To kindreader and icamehereforthis: Hello there! Thanks for reading and I hope you'll continue giving me suggestions on how to improve my writing! Thanks again!

To Chris Shino and OtakuFanGirl001: Hello there! Thanks a lot for the suggestions! I will try and improve my writing! Again, thanks for pointing out my mistakes because it really helps me a lot! I do read back my story sometimes before publishing it to make sure there are lesser mistakes (though sometimes I didn't get to do so because I don't have enough time, sorry!) I hope everyone will continue reading this story and give me advices so I can continue to improve myself! Thanks again!

To Guest: Hello there! I did some research and some say Haku is twelve. But in my earlier chapters, I mentioned that Haku said his age is the same as Chihiro because he wants to be in the same class as her. I hope you'll continue reading this story, thanks!

To AnimeFreak168: Hello there! Here I am, writing the next chapter! I hope you'll like it and thanks for reading!

To Vamp4eva: Hello, Sakura! Thanks for reading and I'm glad you like this story! May I know what a beta reader is? Thanks again!

To all readers: THANKS A LOT FOR READING! I really appreciate everyone's support and I hope you will all like this chapter! I promise I will continue to work harder and improve myself! So now, let me present everyone Chapter 7!

Chapter 7: Love Rival

"No matter what happens, I will protect you, Chihiro." That was what Haku told Chihiro every time someone would try to hurt her. Whenever something bad was about to happen to Chihiro, Haku would always appear just in time to save her from it.

Haku might not always be right beside Chihiro but he was always there to protect her.

Again, time flew faster than anybody thought it would. Years passed and Chihiro was no longer that little girl Haku met at the other world. Chihiro had grown into a stronger 15 years-old teenager. It had been difficult for her to face those crazy fan girls back at junior high school. After finally being able to leave junior high school, Chihiro hoped senior high school would be a better place.

But honestly, Chihiro had a feeling senior high school would be even more difficult and pressurizing.

Nothing much had changed actually. Haku was still cycling Chihiro to school, making girls envious as they saw them. There were little changes in their looks though. Chihiro was still tying her hair with that rubber band she got from Zeniba but her hair is now much longer, approximately 3cm above her waist. Haku's hair became a little bit longer and he had grown much taller too, about 180cm tall while Chihiro was about 160cm.

During these few years, Haku, Chihiro and Akio had worked hard to get good results so they can go to a good senior high school. Haku helped Chihiro and Akio study and at last, all their hard work had paid off!

The three of them were able to go to one of the best senior high schools at the place they're living in. It really made the three of them happy to know they got to study at the same school again. They just hoped things would go smoothly and there won't be too much problems.

Haku and Chihiro were at the front gate of their new school, which was a much bigger and nicer school compared to their previous one. They planned to wait for Akio to come but after they realized they might be late, they went to their classroom first.

"Akio must have overslept." Chihiro said, hoping nothing bad happened to him.

Their new school uniform seemed nicer than their previous ones. Both males and females wore white blouse with long sleeves that reached their wrists. Everyone was asked to button up their blouse up until the very last one and wore a black tie. A pocket was on the right side of their chest which had the school's logo, an eagle. Males had to wear long and black pants while girls wore black skirts that reached 2 cm above their knees. Males must wear black pantofel while girls wear black sneakers.

When Haku opened the door to their classroom, they realized it was just like their previous classroom. Just that, their new classroom was bigger. Chihiro saw girls looking at Haku with blushing faces and was beginning to feel annoyed. It was either Haku didn't notice it or he chose to ignore it because he simply continued walking to the empty seats at the last row. The two of them were wondering if it's coincidence or fate because their new seats are exactly the same as their old one!

Everyone was beginning to settle down after the bell rang. Akio was still nowhere to be seen. The homeroom teacher then came into the classroom, looking happy and cheerful. The teacher seemed to be around his late thirties, had blonde and short hair. He was probably 170cm tall and looked quite handsome too.

"Hello, everybody! My name is Takuma Kaminaga. Welcome to class 1-3! If any of you have a question, feel free to ask me!"

Mr. Kaminaga seemed friendly and nice, making all the students feel relieved. This was when the door suddenly opened loudly.

Akio, in his very messy uniform and hair, was panting as he tried to keep his balance. Everyone was looking at his way, as if waiting for Akio's next movements. Akio didn't change much too, just that his hair grew a little bit longer and he was about 178cm tall.

Akio stood up straighter, walked to Mr. Kaminaga and started talking, "I-I'm sorry for being late. I overslept."

Akio was worried the new homeroom teacher will start scolding him for being late on the first day, but what happened next was something he didn't expect.

Mr. Kaminaga smiled, placed one of his hands on Akio's shoulder and said, "It's okay. You must be tired so you overslept. But try not to let something like this to happen again next time, alright?"

Akio was shocked to see such a reaction from Mr. Kaminaga but managed to reply and went to sit beside his friends, "Thank you. I'll try not to do it next time."

After Akio sat down, he whispered to his two friends, "Wow, the new teacher is really kind and forgiving. I was ready to get scolded for being late."

Like last time, Haku sat beside the window, Chihiro in the middle and Akio beside Chihiro. But the seating arrangement gave Chihiro a little problem this time.

The guy in front of Chihiro was really tall, probably about 180cm like Haku. Chihiro was having troubles looking at the teacher and the whiteboard because the guy in front of her was blocking her way. Seeing Chihiro having difficulties, both Haku and Akio would like to exchange seats with her. But the guy in front of Haku was quite tall too and Chihiro will still have difficulties.

But the girl in front of Akio was shorter than Chihiro so he decided to exchange seats with her, "Chihiro, why don't you just exchange seats with me?"

With a smile, Chihiro stood up and exchanged seats with Akio, glad she was able to see the teacher and whiteboard clearly. But there was a little sadness both Haku and Chihiro felt when they weren't sitting together. But then again, they shouldn't think too much about that for now.

Chihiro looked at her right and realize the seat beside her was the only empty seat in the classroom. She then thought to herself, "I wonder if anybody will be sitting here."

Mr. Kaminaga was checking the attendance when he realized only one more student was not there yet.

"Hmm… Where is this kid?" Mr. Kaminaga wonders to himself as he looked at the door, hoping this student will come soon.

Suddenly, footsteps of someone running could be heared. The corridors were quiet so everyone could hear the footsteps quite clearly. The door opened in such a way that it shocked some students. Pants could be heard and it sounded like a guy. Chihiro wasn't able to see who was at the door from her seat but she was getting curious about the last student who came to class.

The pants started to disappear and the student then walked into the classroom towards the teacher.

Reactions from most of the girls could be heard when the guy walked in.

He was probably as tall as Haku, has soft-looking short brown hair and was good-looking. He had an athletic body and looked like he's good in sports.

Honestly, in Chihiro's opinion, he's almost as good-looking as Haku. If someone were to ask her who's better-looking, she wouldn't know how to answer.

Haku noticed the tiny blush on Chihiro's face and frowned, upset to see her looking at that guy with sparkling eyes. Haku tried not to show he was unhappy but Akio managed to notice it and was trying not to laugh.

"Looks like interesting things will happen from now on." Akio thought with a smile, as he continued to observe his surroundings.

"You must be Shou Yasukawa, right? Please try not to be late next time. Please take your seat now." Mr. Kaminaga said that with a friendly smile.

Shou smiled back, and just like Akio, he was relieved Mr. Kaminaga didn't get angry like what he had expected. Before going to his seat, he said to Mr. Kaminaga, "Thank you! I promise I'll be on time from tomorrow onwards!"

Shou's voice sounded cheerful and his smile made almost all the girls in class blush. Even Chihiro finds him really cute and handsome at the same time!

Shou looked around and saw that the only empty seat in the classroom was the one beside Chihiro. He then walked towards that seat while humming, looking all cheerful and happy. After he sat down on his seat, he faced Chihiro and talked to her, "Hello there! My name is Shou Yasukawa, how about you?"

Chihiro was surprised that Shou talked to her and tried to reply clearly, "H-hello. My name is Chihiro Ogino."

Shou's smile widened as he said, "That's a nice name! Nice to meet you, Chihiro!"

Chihiro's blush deepened as she tried to reply again, "T-thank you. Nice to meet you too, Shou."

Shou gave Chihiro another sweet smile before paying attention to the lesson. Every row in the classroom consisted of four desks, so we can say Chihiro was Shou's only seatmate. Because of that, Chihiro had a feeling they will interact with each other for quite a lot of times from now on.

Haku saw Chihiro talking to Shou and it just made him frown more. Shou looked like a nice person with many good qualities, and these made Haku more upset. Someone was starting to worry the person he care for will care for someone else more.

During lunch, Chihiro told Akio that her Mother had prepared his share too and the three of them were about to go to the park to eat their lunch. Chihiro then realized Shou was still sitting on his desk and looked as if he didn't bring anything for lunch. She then approached him and asked him to join them, "Shou, you didn't bring your lunch? Why don't you join us? My Mother prepared a lot today."

Shou seemed quite surprised but it didn't take long before he smiled sweetly like he did earlier on, "That sounds nice! Thank you, Chihiro!"

Shou walked behind Chihiro as they approached Haku and Akio. With a tiny blush on her cheeks, Chihiro asked, "I asked Shou to join us. Is that fine with both of you?"

"Of course!" Akio replied with a smile.

"Sure." Haku's reply wasn't as cheerful as Akio's but fortunately, Haku managed not to show his unhappiness.

The four of them sat down under a big tree and it seemed as if they were having a picnic, since Chihiro brought a cloth for them to sit on.

"Where were you from, Shou? I don't think I ever saw you around here before." Akio asked out of curiosity.

"I came from a city quite far from here. My family moved here because my Father got a job here." Shou replied as he ate salad.

Chihiro then asked, "How many siblings do you have?"

"I have a younger brother. He is currently in first grade of junior high school." Shou answered with a smile and somehow, Chihiro had a feeling Shou's close to his younger brother.

Most of the time, Haku would just stay quiet. Haku's usually quiet and doesn't talk much so even though he stayed quiet, it's not surprising for everyone.

A wind suddenly blew to their direction, messing Chihiro's hair a little. Shou sat beside Chihiro and saw her messy hair. He reached out his hand and fixed her hair for her. This just made Chihiro blush deeply and she thought it's sweet of Shou to do something like that for her.

Seeing this made Haku really upset but he managed not to show it at all. He knew it won't do any good if he started showing unhappiness and he also knew Chihiro will be really upset. Making Chihiro upset was probably one of the things he didn't wish to do.

During lunch and even during their way towards the classroom, both Chihiro and Shou laughed as they talked. People who didn't know might even think they were dating and that just made Haku annoyed.

But despite being upset and annoyed, Haku wasn't rude in any way possible to Shou and even smiled at him when they introduced themselves. Shou was just being friendly to Chihiro and honestly, Haku knew Shou wasn't doing something wrong.

The first few weeks of school passed and everyone realized Shou was a smart student too! This fact just made him more popular among the girls. For the first time ever, Chihiro saw someone who was as popular as Haku among the girls! Somehow, this amazed her.

She just hoped there won't be too much problems from those fan girls. After the first day of school, Shou started hanging out with Haku, Chihiro and Akio. They had lunch together and talked with one another.

Despite feeling jealous, Haku was starting to like Shou. He's friendly, fun and really caring too. There was once Haku hurt himself while playing basketball and Shou hurriedly went to find some medicines for him. Even though Chihiro and Shou were beginning to become closer to each other, Haku didn't hate him at all. Just that, he felt upset sometimes.

Seeing Chihiro and Shou together somehow made Haku had this thought, "If Chihiro will choose to be with Shou one day, I think she'll be happy."

Thinking that way made his heart ache but he will do anything so Chihiro could be as happy as possible.

On their way back home, Chihiro fell asleep at the back seat of the bicycle. Her head laid comfortably on Haku's back as she slept.

Haku felt the soft wind touching his face as he thought, "As long as you're happy, I will be happy, Chihiro."

But honestly, Haku knew if Chihiro wasn't by his side, his life will always be incomplete.

Author's Space: That's it for Chapter 7! My mid-term examination will be starting next week and I hope I can write and update as soon as possible! I apologize for any mistakes I made in this chapter and I hope I can write better in my next chapters in the future! Thank you for reading, everyone! Kindly post a review too so I can know what you think about this fanfic! Thanks again, everyone!


	8. Just You and Me

Author's Space: Hello, everybody! My examination is finally over (YAY!) and I can now continue writing and updating this fanfic! I apologize for the slow update! I would like to thank everyone who reads and reviewed this fanfic, it makes me really happy! I hope everyone will like the next chapters too! So here is Chapter 8 for my dear readers!

And I would like to thank Vamp4eva for proof read/beta read my fanfic!

Chapter 8: Just You and Me

Three months had passed ever since Shou came into Chihiro's life. He had been a wonderful friend who was always ready to help his friends whenever they need it. Not only was he really friendly to everyone, he was always willing to help others if they didn't understand it. Even though Shou often slept in class, somehow, he was able to answer all the questions the teacher deliberately ask him whenever he slept in class.

Chihiro would always stare at a sleeping Shou in class. The reason why she did that was probably because the lessons were boring. But honestly, the main reason was because she just found him beautiful and innocent whenever he slept and she just couldn't help but stare at him

And of course, Haku saw it all. At first, he was simply pissed or upset. But lately, whenever Chihiro stared at Shou, he just felt sad. His heart would literally ache and he just wanted her to stop staring at him. It felt as if she was slowly drifting away from him and she would one day disappear from him for good. And that would hurt him so much and he doubted he could continue his life without her in it.

It was Saturday around 10 AM when Haku, who just bathed and was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and black pajamas pants, walked passed Chihiro's room. Her door was open and Haku decided to go in. Chihiro was in front of her full-length mirror, looking at herself in her light blue dress. Chihiro's blue dress reached about 2 cm above her knees. The dress was sleeveless and it had some sunflower patterns on it. She wasn't tying her hair and it reached about 5 cm above her waist.

One word that Haku used to describe Chihiro that moment was, "Beautiful."

Haku cleared his throat and walked into the room. Chihiro noticed his presence and turned to see Haku looking at her, "Hey there, Haku!"

"Where are you going?" Haku asked, finding it weird since Chihiro rarely went out with anybody except himself and Akio. Then images of Shou appeared in his mind and he just hoped she wouldn't mention his name.

"I'm going to buy some stationery with Shou. He said he needed to go to the stationery store too. Then I guess we'll go have lunch together. Oh, and I think we'll go to the library too."

Those words felt like daggers stabbing his heart and one thing he felt like doing that very moment was to pull her to him and not letting her go with Shou.

But he managed to calm down and even smiled a little, not wanting to show Chihiro his true feelings about this, "I see. Have fun. You will come back for dinner right?"

"Yes, I will come back for dinner! You and Akio have basketball practice soon right? I want the four of us to go out together but only Shou has time today!" Chihiro sounded disappointed as she continued fixing her dress and hair.

"Yeah, we'll be having a friendly match with another school in a few weeks, so we need more practice. Afterwards, I'll have time to go out with you." Haku felt like telling her to just go with him and not with Shou but he knew very well it was a selfish thing to say.

"Okay! It's a pity Shou is just too lazy to join the basketball team. He plays well, right?" Chihiro walked to her desk and got her bag, looking ready to go out already.

"Yeah, that guy is just too lazy." Haku said, remembering the times Akio tried to persuade Shou to join the basketball team but he just wouldn't because he's lazy. "You look really nice today." Haku said with a smile, wishing that it was him she'll be going out with.

"Really?" A deep shade of red was colouring Chihiro's cheeks, "Thanks, Haku. I just thought I should try dressing up a little bit. I was worried it wouldn't suit me."

"Don't worry, you look beautiful." Haku's smile and words were so sincere and it made Chihiro's heart beat much faster. She could even hear it and she was beginning to worry Haku could hear her heartbeat too.

Suddenly, Yumiko called out to Chihiro, "Chihiro! Shou is already here! Don't be rude and make him wait for too long!"

"Okay!" Chihiro called back and looked at herself one more time in front of the mirror before leaving. Chihiro talked quite a lot about Shou to her parents during dinner and it's mostly praises. The only bad thing she ever said about Shou was probably about his laziness.

Haku followed Chihiro to the front door where Yumiko is. Yumiko stepped back a little and Chihiro could see Shou standing in front of the door. He was wearing a white polo shirt and black long pants. Chihiro blushed a little after she realized how extra handsome Shou looked.

"Hey there, Chihiro! Oh, hey there, Haku!" Shou was as energetic as usual. Haku smiled at him, trying not to show how upset he was.

"Hey there, Shou!" Chihiro said. She walked passed Haku and she was already outside the house.

"You look beautiful today." Shou complemented making Chihiro blush more

Haku just couldn't help it but clenched his fists.

"Thanks." Chihiro answered. She was clearly very happy and it just made Haku's heart ache even more.

Shou then turned around, "We'll go now, Ms. Ogino and Haku! Bye!"

"Bye! Have fun!" Yumiko said as she waved at the two of them.

Chihiro waved back at her mother, "Bye, Mom! Bye, Haku!"

Haku managed to smile a little though seeing Chihiro leaving with Shou had made his heart hurt a lot.

Haku just sighed and walked back to his room. He knew that for the mean time, he should just concentrate on his basketball practice with his team so that they can win the upcoming friendly match.

It was around 12 PM when Chihiro and Shou were done shopping for some stationery. It had been three months since school started and Chihiro was surprised Shou hadn't bought enough notebooks to use for school.

"I can't believe it! What have you been doing in school for the past three months? When you said you needed to go to the stationery store, I thought you just needed some pen or perhaps a pencil." Chihiro said as they walked down the streets, passing all sorts of shops. Chihiro bought some pens and folders. She needed those folders to properly arrange her papers according to the subject. That way, studying would be more organized and she wouldn't end up messing up herself.

"I only had 3 empty notebooks at home. I'm just too lazy to go buy notebooks. It's quite far from my home. And what had I been doing in class? Studying of course!" Shou said with a wide smile and sounded as if he really did pay full attention to the teachers during lessons.

"You can reach here in like 10 minutes if you cycle! It's not that far! And studying in class? I've been sitting beside you for the past 3 months and most of the time you are sleeping so soundly." Chihiro said, passing a pink-coloured store and stopped walking.

Shou didn't realize Chihiro stopped and was still walking as he spoke, "Still, it's far! Well, at least I was able to answer the teachers' questions." When Shou didn't hear any respond from Chihiro, he turned to his side and realized she wasn't there.

He then turned around and saw her standing in front of the store. He walked back to her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Shou then saw her looking at a medium-sized teddy bear. It's a really cute light brown teddy bear with a red bow.

"Huh? Nothing. I just find that teddy bear cute." Chihiro said, still looking at the teddy bear. "Let's go now. I'm hungry!"

Shou watched Chihiro walk away from the store and followed her. He looked back at the store and thought to himself, "She must like that teddy bear a lot."

Chihiro and Shou had lunch at a Japanese restaurant, which took them 15 minutes of walking to reach there. They talked and laughed as they ate, while hoping the other customers wouldn't be disturbed. Shou paid for Chihiro's lunch, saying it's something he should do. After lunch, they headed to the library.

The library was spacious and was full of tall brown shelves. It was obviously a quiet place so Chihiro had to constantly remind Shou to be quiet. Chihiro had always wanted to borrow some novels home to read whenever she had nothing to do. Shou wasn't the type to read a lot, he was just there to accompany Chihiro.

After 10 minutes, Chihiro was still browsing through the shelves for books to borrow. Shou was beginning to feel sleepy when a thought suddenly came to his mind. He was smiling widely when he rushed to Chihiro. He was trying his best to whisper, "Hey, Chihiro. You won't be done that fast right? I need to go somewhere for a while. Let's meet up at the café we passed by earlier after you're done!"

Before Chihiro could ask anything else, Shou was already running away.

"Where is he going? And he should know he shouldn't run inside the library!" Chihiro then went back to browsing through the shelves.

After 10 minutes, Chihiro was done borrowing her books and had reached the café. She decided to wait for Shou to come before ordering. She had waited for 5 minutes and Shou hadn't arrived. Chihiro then began daydreaming and was blankly staring at the café table. Suddenly, the teddy bear she saw earlier appeared in front of her eyes.

She was shocked and quickly got hold of the teddy bear. She then looked up and saw Shou, who was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"Shou! Did you go back to that store we passed by just now?" The teddy bear was in Chihiro's hands as Shou sat down, panting and looking quite tired.

"Yeah. I saw you staring at it and guessed you like it a lot, so I decided to buy it for you." Shou then raised his hand, wanting to order something cold and sweet.

The waitress came and the two of them placed their orders.

"But that store is quite far from here!" Chihiro said, as she looked at a tired looking Shou.

"Well, I obviously ran. But it's okay, you like this teddy bear a lot right?" Shou asked with a cheerful and bright smile.

Chihiro blushed as she answered, "Yeah, I like it a lot. Thanks, Shou."

"You're welcome! The sun sure is scorching hot today! But since you really like that teddy bear, all that running was worth it!" Despite feeling tired, Shou looked happy Chihiro liked the present he gave her.

Shou walked Chihiro home when it was already around 5 PM. Chihiro was holding her teddy bear happily and Shou was glad to see Chihiro looking so happy to have that teddy bear.

They stopped when they realized they had reached Chihiro's home.

"Thanks for today, Shou! I really like the teddy bear too!" Chihiro said with a smile, looking really happy.

"No need to thank me, Chihiro!" Shou placed a hand on Chihiro's head and messed up her hair a little.

Laughter could be heard from both of them and it was time to say goodbye.

"Alright then, I'll go in now. Bye, Shou!" Chihiro waved at Shou and walked into her house.

Shou waved back too and was then on his way home.

"I'm back!" Chihiro called out as she walked into the living room. Her parents and Haku were all there watching television.

"Oh, there you are, Chihiro! What a cute teddy bear!" Yumiko said, as she stood up and took the teddy bear into her hands.

"Yeah! Shou bought it for me!" Chihiro said.

"He bought it? Does he have a crush on you or something?!" Akihiko said while laughing.

"Dad! We're just friends!" Chihiro shouted with her blushing face.

Haku was clearly annoyed and just stayed quiet. He continued watching the television as a distraction.

Chihiro went back to her room to put down her things and then took a bath. After bathing, she went to the dining table for dinner with the others.

As they ate, Akihiko suddenly spoke, "Oh, there's something me and Yumiko had to say to the both of you."

"What is it, Dad?" Chihiro asked as she continued eating while Haku stopped eating for a while to pay attention to what Akihiko was about to say.

"I'll be transferred to another town to work." Akihiko started.

"Really? Where?" Chihiro asked, still continuing her dinner.

"A town quite far from here. So I can't come back home very often. I had already found a place to stay at that town." Akihiko explained.

Chihiro then stopped eating, "You'll move away from home?"

Yumiko then answered, "Yes. And I'm going with him."

"I see." Chihiro answered but suddenly felt shocked, "Wait, what?! So the both of you will move away?!"

"Yes." Yumiko answered. "I'm sure the two of you are big enough to take care of yourselves right? And big enough to know what is right and wrong."

Haku seemed to understand what Yumiko really meant but Chihiro didn't seem to understand.

Haku then spoke, "Don't worry, we'll take care of ourselves well."

Chihiro wasn't as optimistic as Haku, "How about dinner? Who's going to do the laundry? How about the household chores?!"

Yumiko laughed before answering, "Haku had been helping me with all those. He can now cook, do the laundries and even do the household chores! That's why you should learn from me when you can so you won't be so panicky now."

Haku laughed softly before saying, "Don't worry, Chihiro. I'll teach you all those when I have time."

Chihiro wasn't really looking forward to doing all those but she knew very well she just had to.

Chihiro sighed before asking, "So when are you two leaving?"

"Next week." Akihiko answered as he drank his soup.

"Next week?! That's so near to now!" Chihiro sighed again as she slowly drank her soup.

"We'll visit once a while." Akihiko said as he looked at his daughter.

"Once a week?" Chihiro asked.

"Of course not!" Her father answered. "The town we're going to is quite far so we can't always come back here! Perhaps we'll visit once every few months. The two of you had grown up already, I'm sure the two of you can take good care of yourselves! That's why we wouldn't need to come visit too often, right?"

"Your father would be busy with work so he can't come back too often. And I need to be there to take care of him." Yumiko answered.

"Alright then." Chihiro sounded quite sad. "Looks like it's just you and me now, Haku. Let's make sure this house will stay as nice as it is now!"

"I believe Haku will do a great job taking care of this house." Yumiko answered.

"I'll do a good job too!" Chihiro answered.

"Let's just hope so." Akihiko said with a laugh.

Chihiro pouted as the rest finished eating their dinner. Haku helped Yumiko clean up the dishes and the two of them were at the kitchen while Akihiko and Chihiro were at the living room watching the television.

"Haku, I hope things will go well after we moved away." Yumiko said, hoping Haku would understand what she was trying to say.

"I know what to do so don't worry." Haku answered as he washed the dishes.

"I was hesitant to move away with Akihiko at first but I just can't let him stay there alone. And I believe in you. You won't betray my trust in you, right?" Yumiko faced Haku and waited for an answer.

Haku stopped washing the dishes for a while and turned to Yumiko with a small smile, "Yes."

"That's good to hear. You have always been a kindhearted and good boy and I completely believe in you."

"I won't disappoint you. I will take good care of Chihiro too."

"I believe you will. But please take good care of yourself too, okay? Don't overwork yourself and make sure you eat and rest well!"

Haku laughed softly, "Don't worry, I will. We'll visit during our holidays."

"That's a great idea! Come visit us during your holidays! Oh, bring Akio and Shou along too if they want!"

"Sure." Haku answered, thinking it might be a good way to spend their holidays.

Looks like things are going to be a whole lot different from now on. What could possibly happen after Akihiko and Yumiko moved away? Like what Chihiro had said, "It's just you and me now."

Author's Space: What will happen from now on?! Sorry if the story isn't nice for you. I'll try my best to improve it! I'll be busier nowadays so I'm sorry if I can't write and update fast. But no worries because whenever I have the time, I will write the next chapter! Right now, I'm thinking of what new fanfics to write. Can someone suggest what anime or manga should I write a fanfic on? If I know the anime or manga and know what to write about, I might start a new fanfic soon! I guess that's all for now. Thank you for reading, everyone! Kindly review too so I can know what you guys think about the fanfic! Have a nice day and bye now!


	9. The Silk Tie

Author's Space: Hello, readers! Sorry for the late update! Didn't get to find time to write and update the next chapter, sorry! I've been busy because of school (Projects, homework, etc). Thanks for reading and reviewing! As for the problem regarding the possibility of things becoming incest between Haku and Chihiro, don't worry! I'll think of something for the next chapters so things won't turn out weird or awkward! I really appreciate all the compliments and suggestions! Without further ado, I present Chapter 9 for all readers!

Thanks again Vamp4eva for proof read/beta read my fanfic and your continuous support!

Chapter 9: The Silk Tie

"Akio, I need help." Chihiro called Akio on a Saturday morning. Desperation could be heard from her voice but perhaps Akio was just too sleepy to realize that.

Chihiro's sudden call had woken up Akio and he was still half-asleep when he answered the call. He lazily looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was only 8 AM in the morning.

"Chihiro." Akio sounded sleepy. "It's only 8 AM in the morning."

"I know." Chihiro answered, sounding serious. "But I need your help. Now."

"Now?!" Akio was more awake after hearing that. "What happened?"

"Big things happened. Meet me at Coffee Café as soon as possible." Chihiro didn't even wait for Akio to reply and hung up.

Akio let his phone fall on his bed and he covered his face with his pillow. Going back to sleep was something he really wanted to do that time. But he never heard Chihiro sound so serious before and calling at 8 AM on a Saturday morning must have meant something really big happened to her.

Akio knew very well that friends will always be more important than his precious sleeping time so he quickly got out from bed and went to take a shower before meeting up with Chihiro.

It took Akio approximately 15 minutes to shower and cycle to Coffee Café. The place wasn't far from Akio's house so it didn't take him too long to reach there.

He was wearing a light blue plain t-shirt and long white jeans. He was in a hurry so his hair was a little messy. He opened the glass door of Coffee Café and scanned the entire place for Chihiro. A smile came to his face when he saw her at one of the corners of the Café, facing the one of the big glass windows.

Akio then walked to her and sat on the chair opposite of Chihiro which was right in front of the big glass window.

"Hey there, Chihiro! What happened?" Akio could see hints of confusion and sadness in her eyes.

Chihiro just continued staring at the cup of tea in her hands.

The waitress came to take the order of Akio.

"A cup of hot coffee. Thanks." Akio said and the waitress left.

"Well, what happened? You woke me up at 8 AM on a Saturday so you better say something."

Chihiro then looked at Akio with sad eyes and Akio had a feeling it had something to do with Haku.

"Did something happen between you and Haku?"

At the mention of Haku's name, Chihiro couldn't help it but allowed tears to fall from her eyes.

Akio was shocked and began to panic, "W-why are you crying, Chihiro?!"

Akio took some tissues from the table they're sitting on, provided by the café. He gave the tissues to Chihiro and she took it. As she wiped her tears away, her sobs slowly started to fade away.

Akio decided to just stay quiet until Chihiro decided to talk about what exactly happened to her.

It took Chihiro about 5 minutes to calm down and stop crying. Her eyes were still a little bit teary but she no longer sobbed. She then looked up at Akio and finally spoke, "What should I do, Akio?"

Akio noticed the sadness and pain in Chihiro's voice and with a gentle voice, he said, "Tell me what happened, Chihiro. I'll try my best to help you. Okay?"

Chihiro nodded and began telling Akio what happened from the very beginning.

It had been a month after her parents moved away. On the first night after her parents moved away, Haku cooked dinner for the two of them. It was that time that Chihiro realized that things were so much different from before. It wasn't about Haku's cooking because he cooked almost as well as her Mother. It was about the atmosphere at home.

Haku had always been a quiet person but Chihiro liked being around him. He had always been a considerate and nice person, someone she enjoyed talking to. But having only the two of them under the same roof made her nervous and slightly uncomfortable.

She usually talked to her parents as they ate dinner so when it was only Haku and her on the dining table, it was really quiet.

Since none of them were talking, Chihiro observed Haku as she ate. She realized how much Haku had grown. His face, arms and even hands looked strong. His face was manly but gentle at the same time. Chihiro wasn't able to find suitable words to describe how good-looking Haku was.

She was able to feel her face blush as she continued looking at Haku. She had to quickly look away when Haku suddenly realized she was staring at him.

Haku smiled a little and then spoke, "You're never this quiet during dinner."

Chihiro's blush deepened and she looked down to her soup as she spoke, "I'm worried I might disturb you if I talk too much since you're usually quiet during dinner."

"Don't worry about that. I will never find you disturbing." Haku's smile was gentle and warm. Chihiro couldn't help but continue staring at his smile.

"O-okay." Chihiro answered. She never felt so nervous in front of Haku and she didn't really know what to do. But after Haku said he won't find her disturbing, she became much more comfortable and started talking like usual.

Days passed and Chihiro didn't feel nervous or uncomfortable like how she did on the first night. Every Friday afternoon, both of them would go grocery shopping together. It had always been fun going grocery shopping with Haku. There was once when they met Akane and Hana, who are both attending the same senior high school that wasn't too far from the one Chihiro and the others were attending, at the department store.

Chihiro was really happy to meet the two of them and the four of them even talked for a while about their new schools. Haku then left Chihiro with Akane and Hana to find some ingredients he needed for cooking.

After Haku left the three girls, Akane and Hana started to giggle as they looked at Chihiro.

Chihiro was confused and asked, "What's wrong?"

Akane was the one who spoke first, "The two of you look like newlyweds."

Chihiro blushed and said, "W-what?!"

Hana then continued, "Are you guys dating?"

Chihiro's blush deepened, "No!"

"But you want to, right?" Akane said in a teasing tone.

Chihiro just stayed quiet. She really don't know how to answer that question.

Akane and Hana then giggled again and decided to stop teasing Chihiro.

Akane then said, "We have to go now. See you another day, Chihiro!"

Hana said goodbye too, "Bye, Chihiro! Let's meet up again someday!"

Chihiro waved to her friends and said, "Sure! Bye!"

Chihiro then went to look for Haku. But when she saw him, she couldn't help it but blush, remembering what her friends just told her.

But when Haku asked what's wrong, she just said, "N-nothing."

Days passed quicker than Chihiro realized. The days she spent alone with Haku at home went smoothly until the day before she meet up with Akio that Saturday morning.

That Friday after school, Haku and Akio had basketball practice. Shou then asked Chihiro if she wanted to go to a nearby café with him.

Since Chihiro had nothing else to do and she didn't want to be alone at home, she decided to go with Shou.

The both of them chatted happily as they enjoyed the coffee they ordered. Being with Shou had always been something Chihiro liked doing. He was always funny and considerate at the same time.

If it were to be any other girl, she would surely fall in love with Shou.

But Chihiro was different. It's not because she had high expectations or anything like that. The reason why she didn't fall in love with Shou was simple.

Haku was there in her life.

It was already 6 PM when the two of them decided to go home. Shou was cycling with Chihiro behind him when Chihiro suddenly stopped him.

"Shou, can you stop here?"

Shou stopped and turned around to Chihiro, "What's wrong, Chihiro?"

Chihiro didn't answer Shou and directly got down from the bicycle. Shou watched Chihiro as she went inside a men's clothing store.

After about 5 minutes, Chihiro came out of the store and climbed back to Shou's bicycle.

Shou saw a box inside the plastic bag Chihiro was holding.

"What did you buy, Chihiro?" Shou was feeling curious.

"A silk tie. Haku mentioned to me a few days ago he needed a tie but didn't have time to buy one. I think he needs the tie to wear with his suit to Mitsui's birthday party next invited the whole class right? I hope it will be fun."Mitsui was a guy in Chihiro's class and he had recently invited the whole class to his house next month for his birthday party.

Shou was about to start cycling again but stopped when he heard Chihiro say that.

"What's this pain I feel?" Shou thought to himself. "Is this what others call jealousy? Whatever it is, I don't like it at all. Wait, does Chihiro know the meaning behind giving a guy a silk tie? I don't think so. I better just stay quiet then. I need a tie for Mitsui's birthday party too. It would be nice if Chihiro would buy me one too."

Chihiro was puzzled as to why Shou wasn't cycling at all, "What's wrong, Shou?"

"Nothing. I'll take you home now."

It took about 5 minutes until they reach Chihiro's house.

"Thanks for today, Shou! Bye!"

"Bye, Chihiro!"

Chihiro went into the house after Shou was out of her sight.

She went to the living room and placed her gift for Haku on the living room's table.

"Haku must be showering. He hasn't cooked dinner either. I'll just go and take a shower first then." Chihiro thought to herself and went to take a shower.

Few minutes after Chihiro went into the bathroom, Haku was done showering.

"Wonder where Chihiro went to after school. She didn't tell me where she'll go or even who she's going with." Haku thought as he walked to the living room. That was when he realized the plastic bag on the table.

"What's this?" Haku thought as he got hold of the plastic bag. "It wasn't here before I went to take a shower. Chihiro must be back already."

Haku then looked what was inside the bag.

"A silk tie?" He whispered to himself. He then remembered Shou telling him and Akio he needed a silk tie for Mitsui's birthday party.

"Did Chihiro bought this for Shou?" Haku thought to himself. The thought of that itself made Haku's heart ache.

But he decided to support Chihiro with any decisions she'll make in the future. Even if she choose to be with someone else and not him, Haku will try his best to do what would make Chihiro always happy.

He put back the plastic bag on the table when he heard Chihiro's footsteps. He sat down on the sofa before she came into the living room.

Chihiro looked cheerful and happy as she spoke, "Hey there, Haku! How was practice?"

"It was okay." Haku replied.

Chihiro then took the plastic bag from the table and took out the box with the tie in it as she sat down on the sofa beside Haku.

Haku was watching her every moment and even when she spoke, "Haku, in your opinion, does this silk tie make a good present?" Chihiro wanted to know what Haku thought about it before giving him the silk tie. But little did Chihiro knew she made Haku misunderstood what she actually meant.

Haku was almost sure the tie was for Shou and he suddenly remembered what Akio once told him, "When a girl gives a guy a silk tie, it shows that she care about him, love him and want him to be happy and successful in whatever he chooses."

Haku suddenly felt really jealous and even slightly upset. Even though he decided to support whatever decision Chihiro made, he just couldn't help but let jealousy overtook him.

"Yeah. It's a nice present. I'm sure Shou will like it a lot."

Chihiro was confused, "Shou?"

"Yeah. He said he needed a tie. You bought the right present for him." Haku sounded cold and Chihiro's heart ached when she heard that cold tone of his.

"But I wanted to know if you like this tie or not." Chihiro tried to sound like she wasn't hurt at all.

"Yeah, the tie is nice. I'm sure Shou will like anything you give him." Haku turned away and watched the television. "Know what? The two of you should start seeing each other. You guys look good together. Plus, Shou's a nice guy. I'm sure you'll be happy." Haku's tone became even colder and Chihiro can't help it but let tears flow down from her eyes.

Haku turned back to Chihiro when he heard sobs from her. His eyes became wider when he saw her cry.

He stayed quiet and still as he watched Chihiro's tears flowing down from her eyes continuously. He didn't know what to do.

After a few moments of silence, Chihiro finally spoke, she sounded sad and hurt, "But the one I want to be with is you."

Haku was surprised to hear that but it was as if he was froozen and couldn't move at all. He just stayed where he was as he watched Chihiro stand up from the sofa.

She was going back to her room with the box of tie in her hands when she suddenly stopped walking and turned back to Haku, "By the way, I bought this tie for you since you told me you need it. But looks like you don't want it so pretend you never saw it." After that, Chihiro continued walking back to her room and Haku could hear her sobs.

Haku felt like beating himself up when he realized the truth.

He placed his right hand on his head as he thought, "What have I done? How could I be so stupid and hurt the person I love most?"

That night was painful for both Haku and Chihiro. None of them knew what to do next.

That was why Chihiro asked Akio out the next day and told him what happened.

After Akio understood what happened, he suddenly had a headache, "This sure is complicated. Well, all I can say is..." Akio cleared his throat before continuing, "How could the two of you be so blind all this time?! It's been years since I realized the two of you like each other and you two only realized it last night?!"

"I don't think he likes me back." Chihiro replied.

"Of course he does!" Akio tried his best to not speak too loud since it might disturb the other customers. "If he doesn't like you back, why would he be so upset when he thought you bought that tie for Shou?!"

"Why would he be mad about a tie anyway?" Chihiro asked softly, still feeling confused and sad at the same time.

Shou was surprised to know how clueless Chihiro was, "You don't know the meaning behind giving a guy a silk tie?"

Chihiro just stayed quiet and stared at Akio.

Realizing Chihiro really had no idea about the meaning behind giving a guy a silk tie, Akio decided to explain things to her, "People usually say that when a girl gives a guy a silk tie, it shows that she cares about him and wants him to be happy and successful in whatever he chooses."

Chihiro's eyes grew wider and blushed when she heard that from Akio.

"Does Haku really like me back?" Chihiro thought to herself.

Seeing Chihiro looking confused, Akio asked Chihiro, "Do you love Haku?"

Chihiro felt her blush deepened when she heard that question from Akio.

But she built enough courage to answer, "Yes, I do."

"Then what do you intend to do now?"

Chihiro's confused face came back as she spoke, "I really don't know. That's why I asked you out to help me."

Akio stayed quiet and thought to himself for a few moments. After a while, he had a wide smile on his face.

"I have a plan." Akio said confidently.

Author's Space: What could Akio's plan be? You'll know on the next chapter! I hope I can find time to write and update the next chapter soon. I have two projects I need to finish by around November and I'm currently far from done. And I'll be getting my report card next Friday! (OH NO!) I hope I won't get grades that will make me go "Oh my, this is sad." Okay, going back to the fanfic… Thank you for reading and please review too! I accept suggestions and corrections but please be nice. I really hope everyone likes this chapter too! I promise I will continue to try my best to improve myself so my readers will enjoy reading this fanfic more! And, like what I said in the previous chapter, help me suggest what other anime/manga I can write a fanfic on! Thanks a lot, everyone! Please continue to support the next chapters too! I guess that's all for now. Thanks again and bye, everyone!


	10. Our Confessions

Author's Space: Hello, everybody! I sincerely apologize for the late update! I'm so glad to read the reviews and knowing that you guys like this story! So I will continue to improve myself so this story could be better for everyone to read! And thanks a lot, Taemi Tamiko! I'm sure we'll be good friends! Thanks for your suggestions! (It's great to know that some of them are the same as the ones I thought of!) I hope you'll continue to support this fanfic! I would like to thank all readers for reading this fanfic, THANK YOU!

And I would like to thank Vamp4eva for helping me again!

Chapter 10: Our Confessions

"Akio." Chihiro said slowly. "Is this the so called plan you thought of?"

"Yes!" Akio said confidently. "Great plan, right?!"

"Not at all! I won't do it!" Chihiro complained.

The two of them were still at Coffee Café, discussing about what Chihiro should do next. Akio, who believed his plan would work out well, decided to repeat the plan to Chihiro so she would agree with him.

"Chihiro, listen carefully to my great plan, okay?" Akio cleared his throat before starting the explanation. "There will be a basketball match against another senior high school at 2 PM today. The match will be at our school and anybody is free to watch. What I think you should do is to go to the match later and confess to him!"

"I won't do it." Chihiro said without hesitation.

"Why not?! It would work out so well!"

"It's too embarrassing! Plus, I'm sure Haku's fan girls will be there. They might kill me. No, that's wrong." Chihiro glared at Akio before continuing. "They will kill me right on the spot."

"Come on, Chihiro! You're thinking too much! Just do it, trust me." Akio placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Are there any other choices?" Chihiro asked out of desperation.

"No. Unless you can think of one yourself. Public confessions usually work well!"

Chihiro just sighed because she knew very well that she couldn't come up with better plans than the one Akio thought of.

Akio took Chihiro's sigh as a sign that she had already agreed to his plan.

He smiled widely as he stood up, "Great! I'll see you at school later at 2 PM then! Bye now!"

Akio was about to leave already when he suddenly thought of something, "Oh right!" He walked back to face Chihiro. "It's already 9:45 PM and we will be having practice at 10 PM so I guess Haku is not home right now. I guess you'll feel awkward if you meet him now so I decided to tell you this. Oh, and make sure you'll dress up later on! I need to go now or else I'll be late for practice!"

Chihiro watched Akio leaving Coffee Café while smiling to himself.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Chihiro asked herself and thought she better go home soon to prepare.

While Chihiro already somehow had an idea on what to do next, Haku was still in a mess.

Cycling to school suddenly felt heavy and he couldn't help it but sigh whenever he thought of Chihiro.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Haku asked himself as he got down his bicycle after reaching the school.

Even though he looked ready for basketball practice with his sports attire on, he wasn't mentally prepared at all.

Haku was sitting on one of the benches near the basketball court while staring on the ground. Even though his surroundings were filled with noises of ball dribbling and basketball shoes, he didn't seem to notice any of those.

Haku finally snapped out of his daydream when Akio suddenly tapped on his shoulder.

"Hey! What's up? You seemed to be in a daydream or something." Akio then sat beside Haku.

"Nothing." Haku then looked at Akio who looked tired even though he had not started practice. "You look tired even before practicing. What did you do?"

"Nothing actually. I just had to rush here just now so I end up like this." Akio answered as he tied his shoelaces.

"Rush here? What did you do this morning?" Haku asked, thinking that there shouldn't be any reasons for him to be rushing to get to school.

"Well, I overslept."

"Oh, right. That's expected from you."

A third-year student named Yoshirou Hideyoshi, who was also the captain of the basketball team, suddenly clapped his hands to get the attention of all members of the team.

"Listen up, everyone! The match later will be a difficult one so I want everyone to give their very best! Even though it will be difficult, I'm sure we can win it as long as we stay confident! Alright, let's start the practice now so we will be ready later!"

"Yes, Captain!"

The practice that day was tougher than usual but nobody complained. Three hours passed by fast and it was the end of the practice.

When all the members of the team, including Haku and Akio, was sitting on the ground drinking water and resting, Yoshirou approached them and said, "Everyone performed well today! Take a rest now so we will all have enough energy to give it our all later during the match! It's only one hour before the match will start so I hope nobody will leave the school grounds. Make sure everyone will be here on time!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Everyone was going separate ways after the captain finished talking. Haku was about to leave the court for the park with Akio to take some fresh air when Yoshirou suddenly approached him.

"Haku, can I talk to you for a while?" Yoshirou asked.

"Sure, Captain." Haku answered.

Akio just nodded at Haku, showing that he would go to the park ahead first.

When it was only Haku and Yoshirou on the basketball court, Yoshirou started talking.

"Haku, ever since you first joined this basketball team I already have high hopes on you. Even though you're a first-year student, I won't hesitate to put you in the first five for the match later on."

Haku had a feeling Yoshirou had something else to say so he kept quiet for the mean time.

"However, you were not concentrating well during practice just now. Even though you were better than most of the other members, I know you could do better than that. I really hope you would concentrate on the match later on."

"I will, Captain. I won't disappoint you. Sorry."

Yoshirou smiled a little and said, "I'm sure you won't disappoint me. Go on and have a rest now."

"Yes, Captain."

Haku then left the court and went to the park to look for Akio. Upon reaching the park, he saw Akio lying down below one of the trees.

Haku walked to him and did the same too. The grass felt soft on Haku's skin as he began taking a rest after a tiring practice.

"What did Yoshirou talked to you about?" Akio asked with both of his eyes still closed.

"Nothing much. He just said I lacked concentration during practice just now." Haku was staring at the sky as he answered.

"I see." Akio opened one of his eyes to peek at Haku's expression. He then decided to make Haku talk about what happened between him and Chihiro. "What was on your mind during practice that made you lose concentration? It's unusual for someone like you to lose concentration during an important practice."

Haku stayed quiet at first but spoke after a sigh, "It's about Chihiro."

"What happened?" Akio tried to sound as if he didn't know anything about what really happened.

"Long story. All I can say is that I really screwed up this time. Because I got jealous before knowing the facts, I ended up hurting Chihiro."

"Sounds like you're not so perfect after all, aren't you?" Akio said in a teasing tone.

"I never said I'm perfect." Haku laughed softly.

"Your fan girls do."

After Akio said that, the two of them couldn't help it but laughed.

"I have a feeling Chihiro thinks you're perfect too." Akio said all of a sudden.

"Well, I'm sure she doesn't think that way now." There were hints of sadness in Haku's voice.

"It's not too late to fix the mess you made."

"Maybe."

"You should do something for her, you know." Akio suddenly sat up and faced Haku. "Well, what do you think?"

"But what should I do for her?"

"You think of that yourself. There's one thing I can say to help though. I told Chihiro there will be a match later and she told me she'll be coming here to watch." Akio said and laughed.

Haku just continued looking at the sky. After much thinking, Haku suddenly sat up and faced Akio, "Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"I need to leave the school grounds for a while but if the captain finds out he might get upset. Cover up for me, will you?" Haku didn't even wait for Akio to reply and directly stood up and left him alone.

"Wait! What am I suppose to do?!" Akio stood up and panicked for a while.

Even though Yoshirou was a nice person, he was known to be a strict captain. Upsetting him would be something that none of the members of the basketball team would like to happen.

"Think of that yourself! I'll be back soon!" Haku said before he was out of Akio's sight.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Akio asked himself and sat back down on the grass. "Haku better be back fast."

Time flew faster when you wanted it to be slower. It was already 1:30 PM when Akio checked the time on his phone and the team playing against them had already reached the school. Students from both schools had also arrived at the basketball court; all looking excited to see the match since they knew it will be a tight one.

"Why is Haku not here yet?! What am I suppose to say if Yoshirou asked me about him!" Akio was beginning to panic and was surprised when someone tapped his shoulder from behind.

Since Akio thought it was Yoshirou, he slowly turned back so he had time to think of an excuse to say in case he asked where Haku was. Turns out, it wasn't Yoshirou.

"Wow, Chihiro, you look pretty in that dress." Akio said, quite shocked to see Chihiro looking a little bit different from usual.

Chihiro just glared at Akio and she looked quite annoyed. Dressing up had not been something she truly enjoyed doing and she never had confidence on it. So she ended up spending a long time to finish dressing up and finally was ready to come to school for the match.

She was wearing a light pink dress with floral patterns that reached a little above her knees. She wasn't tying her hair and even wore a white headband. Even though she wasn't smiling and even looked annoyed, she was already looking very pretty.

Chihiro decided not to reply to Akio's previous words and asked, "Where's Haku?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Well, he went somewhere since just now and isn't back yet."

"Wonder where he went to. The match is starting soon right?" Chihiro began to feel worried Haku might not be back on time.

"Yeah. But I'm sure he'll be back soon." Akio looked at the time on his phone again and couldn't help but feel panicked.

"Haku, you better be back soon." He thought to himself.

One of the basketball players approached Akio and said, "Akio, the captain is asking everyone to gather on the court."

"Oh, okay. Chihiro, if Haku is back, ask him to gather on the court with us." Akio said that in a hurry and quickly rush to the court after mumbling, "I'll just say to Yoshirou Haku is in the toilet."

Chihiro just stood there waiting for Haku.

"Where in the world is he? He'll be late!"

Suddenly, Chihiro saw a silver, sparkling and beautiful necklace right in front of her. The necklace had a small dragon pendant on it that somehow looked like Haku's dragon form and it made Chihiro thought of Haku directly.

Haku.

Chihiro quickly turned back and saw Haku right there, smiling happily even though he was drenched in sweat.

"Haku! Where were you?! The match is about to start!" Chihiro said. She suddenly remembered all possible reasons why seeing Haku now might be something awkward and started blushing.

"Well, I had to get you this after Akio told me you'll be coming here to watch the match today." Haku said and showed the necklace to Chihiro again. "I had to go back home to get money so I could only come back now."

Chihiro couldn't help it but continued blushing as she looked at Haku. She wasn't even sure what she should say to him.

"The other players are gathering on the court. You should go now!" Chihiro told Haku as she pointed at the other players who seemed to be having a discussion with Yoshirou.

Haku knew he should gather with the others too but he had to do something first, "Let me put this necklace on you first."

Chihiro could feel her cheeks burning as Haku walked closer to her and put the necklace around her neck. The necklace looked beautiful on Chihiro which was something Haku had already expected ever since he laid eyes on that necklace.

"I'll go now then." Haku said and turned to leave Chihiro.

He suddenly thought of something and turned back to Chihiro with a smile, "That dress and headband suit you really well, Chihiro."

A red-faced Chihiro just stood there as she watched Haku's every movement.

"I don't know what to think anymore." Chihiro thought to herself as she held the dragon pendant in her hands.

The match soon started and Akio was glad Yoshirou believed Haku was in the toilet and that was why he was late.

The opponents were indeed skilled and the match was a tight one. But even so, Haku and the other players in their team played really well. It was a match which you couldn't stop watching.

Only 30 seconds was left before the match was over and the opponents were leading by 1 point. The atmosphere was really tensed and Chihiro was starting to worry.

But Haku looked very confident and she soon stopped feeling worried.

Only 5 seconds was left before the end of the match and the ball was passed to Haku. He quickly dribbled the ball, passed through his opponents and did a lay-up! Chihiro's school won and everyone was overjoyed!

After both teams shook hands with one another, Haku's fan girls were about to approach him but he was already standing in front of Chihiro.

Haku took a step towards Chihiro and with a gentle smile and voice, he said, "I love you, Chihiro."

Chihiro was blushing and didn't know what to say. After a while, she smiled and said, "I love you too, Haku."

Both touched and happy to hear that from Chihiro, Haku hugged her tightly, ignoring the people around him.

Even though happiness was flowing throughout her, Chihiro had a feeling things might be a little difficult from now on.

But despite having some worries because of their sudden confessions, Chihiro must admit she was really happy about one thing.

Haku loved her as much as she loved him.

Author's Space: That's it for this chapter! I hope everyone likes it! I can't promise a fast update but I will try to write and update whenever I have time. Thank you for reading and please give me a review too! Bye and have a nice day!


	11. Our First Date

Author's Space: Hello, everyone! I'm so sorry for the late update! There are still so many things I'm not done with! (I'm just back from a friend's house to do our project) Thank you for reading the previous chapters! And I'm really happy to read the reviews! THANK YOU! It just encourages me more to continue writing even better chapters! Without further ado, I present Chapter 11!

Chapter 11: Our First Date

"I thought I was going to die back there."

Chihiro said that right after she walked past the door of their house. Haku laughed softly upon hearing that from Chihiro.

"If it weren't for Akio, we might still be stuck there with your crazy fan girls." Chihiro fell back to the sofa, looking quite tired.

Haku went into the kitchen and came back with two glasses of mineral water. He handed one to Chihiro, "Here, drink some water."

Chihiro then thought about what happened right after their confession.

Haku's fan girls looked really upset when they saw both Haku and Chihiro hugging each other. They looked as if they were ready to take away the life of Chihiro. But thanks to Akio, Haku and Chihiro were able to escape and arrived safely at home.

Chihiro couldn't help it but laugh when she thought back about how Akio managed to help them. He blocked those crazy fan girls who were all trying to charge towards Chihiro while saying, "You two better run now while I can still block them! Just buy me a cup of coffee next time! Wait, make it two cups! This is hard work!"

"We really should buy Akio two cups of coffee next time." Chihiro said and took a sip of water. "But I think I owe him more than just a cup of coffee."

Haku looked at Chihiro with questioning eyes. Chihiro then blushed before saying, "Well, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have gone to watch the match and wouldn't have the chance to-"

Chihiro was too embarrassed to continue her sentence and hid her face with both of her hands.

Haku smiled gently and pulled both her hands away from her face.

Seeing how red Chihiro's face was, Haku couldn't help it but say, "You look so cute when you're shy."

Chihiro felt her face burn when she heard that. Haku's sweet smile made her feel even more embarrassed.

Not knowing what to do, Chihiro suddenly stood up and said, "I-I'll go take a bath!"

Chihiro could hear Haku's soft laughter as she ran to her room.

After Chihiro was done bathing, she stayed inside her room and observed the necklace Haku gave her. She really liked it and in her opinion, it suited her well.

"Can't believe I really confessed to Haku."

A knock on the door was suddenly heard, surprising Chihiro.

"Chihiro, can I go in?" Haku's voice was heard from the other side of the door.

"Sure!"

Chihiro sat on the chair as she watched the door open. Haku looked more energetic after he bathed and he was wearing a white polo shirt and long black pants.

"Where are you going?" Chihiro asked out of curiosity.

Haku just smiled as he walked towards Chihiro. Chihiro stood up and Haku stopped walking when he was right in front of her. Realizing how close they were, Chihiro blushed deeply.

"I'm here to ask you out on a date, Chihiro."

Chihiro made sure she didn't hear the wrong thing, "W-What?"

"I'm here to ask you out on a date. Do I have the honor to go on a date with you?"

Chihiro's heart suddenly beat much faster than usual and she could actually hear it. She wasn't too sure if it was due to nervousness or happiness but she couldn't talk properly.

"O-Of course. I-I'll get ready n-now."

"Great!" Haku's smile just made Chihiro blush more. "I'll wait in the living room."

After Haku left Chihiro's room, she quickly opened her wardrobe and see what she should wear.

She took out a casual light pink dress with floral patterns that reaches right above her knees. She let her hair fall freely and used a white headband to make it appear neater. She then rushed to the living room, not wanting to make Haku wait for too long.

Chihiro suddenly tripped right after she reached the living room. She lost her balance and was about to fall but Haku saved her just in time by holding onto her waist.

"Be careful. I wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

In their current position and with the sweet words from Haku, Chihiro felt really shy and found it difficult to see Haku straight in the eyes.

"T-Thank you."

Chihiro stood up straight and looked down on the floor shyly.

"You look beautiful, Chihiro."

"He really knows how to make me feel even more embarrassed!" Chihiro thought to herself.

She slowly looked up and said, "T-Thanks."

"Let's go now then."

"Where?"

"You'll see."

Chihiro followed Haku to the bicycle where she sat on the back seat. Even though they had cycled for almost 10 minutes, Chihiro wasn't sure where they were heading to.

Haku then stopped in front of a café Chihiro had never seen before.

"We're here." Haku said and got off the bicycle. Chihiro got off too and observed the café in front of her.

"Where is this?" The café looked really pretty and gave people a cheerful feeling. The name of the café is "Desserts Café".

"It's a new café that had just opened a few days ago. I heard from some of the basketball club members that it's a nice place with great desserts. Let's go in."

Chihiro followed Haku into the café and was amazed by the place.

The walls were painted light pink and the floor was white in colour. The tables were made of glass and the chairs were covered with white cloths. The waitresses all wore really cute uniforms with white aprons and pink headbands. Chihiro really liked the whole place.

"It's so pretty!" Chihiro said out of amazement.

One of the waitresses approached Haku and Chihiro with a bright smile, "Welcome to Desserts Café! Let me show you to your seats!"

The waitress brought them to the seats by the window and handed them a menu each.

"Just call any of us once you decided on what to order!" The waitress then left Haku and Chihiro.

"Even the menu is so cute!" Chihiro said as she fliped through the pages of the menu.

Haku smiled and said, "Looks like I chose the right place for our first date."

Chihiro stopped flipping the pages of the menu and blushed deeply.

Haku laughed softly and said, "Have you decided what to order?"

"N-No."

"Feel free to order anything you like." Haku then flipped through the pages of the menu too. After he saw that Chihiro seemed to have something she would like to order, he called for the waitress.

"Hello! What would you like to order?" The waitress asked. Even this waitress looked cheerful like the previous one who welcomed them.

"I'll order a mango pudding, chocolate fudge pancake and iced sweet tea." Haku said.

"I'll order a strawberry ice-cream pancake, one slice of tiramisu cake and a vanilla milkshake." Chihiro said, looking really happy.

"Alright! Please wait!"

The waitress then left so the chefs could prepare the foods they had just ordered.

Chihiro played with the dragon pendant on her necklace as she looked down on the floor. She still felt embarrassed whenever she looked at Haku.

"Do you like the necklace?" Haku asked suddenly, making both Chihiro's hands fell awkwardly.

"O-Of course." Chihiro answered with a blushing face.

"I'm glad you like it. And I'm glad you like me back too. All this while, I thought it was a one sided love"

"I'm even more surprised you like me back. There are so many better girls out there who likes you a lot."

"You're the best in my opinion."

"Oh my goodness, he really knows how to make my heart beat fast." Chihiro thought as she looked on the floor.

"Y-You're the best in my opinion too." Chihiro said shyly.

"I'm glad to hear that. I was worried you might think Shou is the best."

"Shou?" Chihiro was confused as to why Shou was mentioned.

"Well, I used to think you like him."

Chihiro was almost sure there was a feeling of jealousy in Haku's tone and expression. Knowing that made Chihiro laugh softly.

"What's wrong?" Haku asked.

"You sound cute when you're jealous." Chihiro answered and tried not to laugh too much.

Haku blushed a little and looked away, "Shou seems like he has feelings for you so I feel jealous whenever you spend time with him."

"Shou has feelings for me? You're thinking too much, Haku!"

Haku just stayed quiet, not knowing what to say next. The waitress suddenly came with their food prepared.

After placing everything on the table, she left after saying, "Enjoy!"

All the foods looked really appealing and delicious! Chihiro ate happily and her smile seemed even sweeter than the desserts that she was eating.

"So yummy!" Chihiro said as she took a bite of her pancake.

Seeing how Chihiro liked eating desserts, Haku cut out a piece of his chocolate fudge pancake and said, "Try mine too. I'm sure you'll like it."

Knowing that Haku was going to feed her, Chihiro could hear her heart beating in a crazy speed again.

Awkwardly and nervously, Chihiro slowly opened her mouth and let Haku feed her. But once she tasted the sweetness of the chocolate fudge pancake, she forgot all her nervousness and embarrassment.

"It's so yummy!"

Haku looked glad to see Chihiro looking so happy. But the next thing Chihiro did make him even happier.

Thinking that she should also share her food, she cut out a piece of her strawberry ice-cream pancake and said with blushing cheeks, "I-I want to share too."

Haku laughed at Chihiro's blushing cheeks and then opened his mouth so Chihiro could feed him.

He wasn't sure if the pancake was really very sweet and delicious or he liked it a lot because it was Chihiro who fed him.

"It's delicious. Thanks, Chihiro."

Chihiro smiled and was able to feel her nervousness slowly fading away.

"I can get use to these sweet moments." Chihiro thought to herself as she continued eating her sweet and delicious desserts with Haku.

It was already almost 10 PM when Haku and Chihiro arrived home. Although it was already late, Chihiro still felt energetic and she knew it was because she just had her first date with the guy she loved.

Chihiro sat down on the sofa in the living room while Haku went into the kitchen to get some juice for the both of them.

He gave the glass of apple juice to Chihiro and sat down beside her on the sofa. After Chihiro drank some of her apple juice and placed the glass on the living room table, she laid back on the sofa and suddenly felt a little bit tired.

"Are you sleepy, Chihiro?"

"A little bit. I guess I'll go to bed soon." Though Chihiro didn't wish to separate with Haku, she knew she should get some sleep soon.

When Chihiro yawned a little, Haku suddenly leaned towards her and kissed her on right cheek.

Chihiro could feel her cheeks burn, especially the spot where Haku had kissed her.

"What should I do?!" Chihiro thought to herself and could feel her mind becoming a huge mess.

She then slowly turned to face Haku who tried not to laugh at Chihiro's burning cheeks and embarrassed expression.

With his sweet and gentle voice, Haku said, "Thank you for today, Chihiro. I had fun. Let's go on more dates in the future."

Happy, embarrassed and excited at the same time, Chihiro tried to speak properly, "T-Thank you too, Haku. I had fun too! And I really want to go on more dates with you in the future. It'll make me really happy."

Haku smiled at Chihiro and there were a few moments of silence. Both Haku and Chihiro just continued staring at each other.

Haku slowly placed one of his hands on Chihiro's right cheek and caressed it. It just made Chihiro's heart beat even faster.

He then slowly leaned towards Chihiro, destroying all distances between the two of them.

Chihiro thought she'll go crazy when she felt the soft touch of Haku's lips on her own lips. It felt so sweet that she wasn't sure if it was due to the desserts he ate earlier or kissing with the one you love was meant to taste sweet.

She felt slightly sad when Haku moved back and stopped kissing her. But after seeing Haku's gentle smile, all negative emotions were gone in less than a second.

"Chihiro."

Chihiro had always liked the sound of Haku calling her name.

"Yes, Haku?"

"Let's go visit the Spirit World."

Author's Space: That's the end of Chapter 11! How was it? Please review! I really want to read your comments on this fanfic! Of course, I accept suggestions too but please be kind. I don't think I can write and update the next chapter soon so please be patient. I'll try my best to update the next chapter as soon as possible! Thank you for reading and bye now!


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